Scratches
by lezonne
Summary: After struggling with addiction, Lucy must find a way to explain what made her not only fall into a path of destruction, but sell herself to get a fix. Can she still see a light at the end of the tunnel with the help of Sting, or will her new vice keep her captive and enslaved to a depraved man who uses her?
1. Chapter 1

Sting blinked a couple times, unable to believe what he was seeing. If he was anyone else besides a guild master he may have taken her up on the offer and blamed it on liquor later, but he just couldn't do that. Even just looking into her eyes he knew he couldn't let something happen to her.

There was no way, absolutely no way, he could be looking at the woman in such a state.

"Lucy?"

Her fingers toyed with the fastening of his jacket, purring as she spoke. "Come on, let me show you a good time. You want to have fun with me, don't you?"

He had absolutely no idea what she thought she was doing, or how he even ended up crossing paths with her. He hadn't heard anything about most of the Fairy Tail members in months, not since the guild dispersed almost a year ago. He'd just finished a meeting between the guild masters in Crocus earlier that day, and he was supposed to be heading back to the guild.

Fairy Tail was a taboo topic, one that was usually brushed over in the meetings. May of the former guild members transferred to other guilds to continue practicing magic, and most everyone was accounted for.

But Heartfilia? He hadn't heard from her in months, not since she stopped doing issues in Sorcerer Magazine and posing. He'd heard a rumor at one point that she was trying to become a writer with the paper, but that was the last of it. He hadn't heard anything else on the blonde since.

And now here she was, offering herself to strange men at night? He could barely believe what he was seeing, the reek of alcohol on her breath almost overpowering. How the hell did someone like her end up here?

Still perplexed, he gently grabbed her shoulders and held her an arm's length away to get a good look at her. Yup, it was definitely Lucy, even if he barely recognized her in the shadows. He'd seen her wear some sexual clothing before but damn, she was really putting herself in a dangerous situation here.

Giving her a quick once over he felt something inside him stir, and surprisingly he found it was not sexual desire. Sting wouldn't exactly call her bottoms well, anything. He supposed they were supposed to be a pair of shorts, but they were so tight and thin it was closer to underwear than clothing. He thought it was a little cool tonight, and couldn't imagine how she was feeling.

Speaking of, he could tell that the cool was getting to her. Her nipples poked out at him through the thin t-shirt, not leaving anything to the imagination. She had tied back her hair in two high pigtails, and maybe if he was a sicker person he'd find her attractive this way.

But it was her eyes that really gripped him. The pupils were so large her eye color barely showed through. Even in the dim streetlight he could see that she was blitzed out of her fucking mind, never mind the stench of alcohol.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, not letting go. He wasn't entirely certain what else she would try to _fiddle with_ if he did. "Where are your keys?"

"Oh, at my place," she continued, tilting her head in what he supposed was meant to be cute. Since she could no longer touch him she changed tactics, sliding her fingers down her taunt stomach to the waistband of those so-called shorts.

Fucking hell.

"Stop that," Sting demanded, giving her a firm shake. "What the hell are you doing? Why are you out here in the god damn slums trying to sell yourself?"

Lucy pouted, and he was starting to think she had no idea who he was. "What? You don't like dirty? I can play good too. Whatever you want handsome."

He grunted, briefly glancing away. All he wanted to do was take a shortcut back to the guild hall.

But this? What was he supposed to do with an ex Fairy Tail mage slumming it out and trying to sell sex for money? He assumed it had something to do with whatever godawful drugs she was currently on.

And people actually paid for this?

Morally, he couldn't leave her there. She obviously crumbled after Fairy Tail and her magazine spread for one reason or another, and if this was the low point since their disbandment he feared what brought her to this level.

No, he didn't know her well but he couldn't leave a familiar face behind like this. She quite clearly needed an intervention.

"Lucy, look at me," he urged, using one hand to hold her chin while the other worked at pushing her hand away from him again. "Why are you out here?"

"Men always come looking at night," she cooed, licking her lips. "It's the best time for business. Don't be shy."

"Do you know who I am?" he continued, unwilling to be deterred. "Do you recognize me?"

She titled her head, briefly letting her hands drop as she studied his face. Her brows knitted together, like she was trying to figure it out. Her fingers reached up, running through his messy hair. He jerked at the sensation, unwilling to let her think he was enjoying this. He needed her to understand he didn't want her like that. "You look familiar I suppose. Blondes come here all the time. That's why I'm popular."

His fingers tightened on her chin, unable to believe what he was hearing. "I didn't come here looking for you. I'm trying to go home. Remember, I run a guild?"

She leaned forward a little, and the smell that assaulted his nose nearly took him out. Her dilated eyes looked him over, eyebrows rising a hair when something clicked in her brain. "S…Sting?"

He felt a little better when she suddenly recognized him, glad through her muddled mind she could recall a familiar face. Before he got a chance to say anything she panicked, jutting out a foot to kick him as hard as she could in the shin.

Sting cursed, reaching down to rub his leg. She took the opportunity, throwing all her wait into showing him over. Surprising he fell on his butt, eyes widening as the scantily clad blonde turned and fled, the heels she was wearing clicking against the ground as she ran.

He watched her go, the smell still heavy in the air. Should he follow something so conflicted? Clearly she was struggling with addiction for one reason or another, but he wouldn't believe for a second that someone like Lucy Heartfilia had no other option but to sell her body on the streets.

Letting her go would be easy. He didn't come here often, and there was a strong chance he'd never end up running into her again. Let the Fairy be someone else's problem.

But if he didn't help he wondered what would happen. Clearly she was lost, the shell of the Celestial Spirit wizard he met at the Grand Magic Games. She didn't even have her keys with her for crying out loud! Her method of attack was physical, and he wondered how well something like that would work if her attacker fought back.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't just leave her to her own devices. Clearly that already happened, and the results were horrible. If he got up now he could follow her scent. Maybe if he found where she was staying he could convince himself he was fine, and go back to not worrying about wayward fairies.

He couldn't face Yukino if he didn't make sure she was okay. Sabertooth's own Celestial Mage often wondered if there was any news of Lucy. He wouldn't be able to lie to her if she asked again, and the white haired beauty would never let him live it down if he just left out there.

Groaning, he stood. Better to chance her now before the trail began to fade.

Lucy hadn't gone far, her scent lingering in several places as he followed the scent. He could tell she struggled to run off, either staggering or resting as she went. She couldn't have gotten far, the dangerous mixture of drugs and alcohol in her system muddling her senses.

It didn't take him long to figure out where she'd gone, the scent mixing with many others as he skidded to a stop outside a building, his senses already telling him he was dangerously close to the red light district of Crocus.

He scowled, staring at the sign on the outside of the building. There was absolutely no way he could leave a fellow mage in a _brothel_.

Steeling his nerves, Sting approached the building. The lingering smell of sex and liquor seeped from the very foundation of the building, and he found his stomach churning as he threw the door open. If someone tried to stop him, he figured they'd be too blitzed out of their minds to put up much of a fight.

Inside, it was as bad as he assumed. There were too many bodies piled on a couch, some passed out while some appeared to be fading in and out of consciousness. He didn't have to approach to know they were drugged, a strange smell rising from the sunken couch cushions. He looked away, immediately realizing the probability of someone trying to stop him was pretty low.

Finding Lucy was almost too easy. She was upstairs on the second floor, and as far as he could tell she was alone in the room. As he approached someone he didn't recognize stepped in his way, a girl who seemed to forgo a top sometime earlier.

"Hey handsome," she slurred, tripping over her own feet as she approached. He didn't try to help when she teetered in her heels, collapsing onto some of the discarded couch cushions a moment later.

Cleanliness was clearly not a priority here, and if Sting didn't get a whiff of clean air soon he was going to be sick. How could people live like this?

Approaching the door he was certain Lucy was hiding behind he banged on the wood, glancing around when no one seemed concerned that he was here. "Lucy!"

A groan came from inside, though it didn't sound pained. When nothing happened, Sting knocked again, wondering if he should just try the handle. "Lucy-"

The door opened, something Sting hadn't been expecting. Staring at him now was Lucy's lion spirit Loke, a face he did recognize. But the lion appeared aged, his glasses askew and his eyes haunted.

Sting dropped his hand, surprised as the spirit stepped aside. "Come in."

The room was as trashed as he imagined, a few paperbacks strewn across one corner and a ratty bed resting on the floor. There was a lamp resting on the ground, and a bookcase that seemed to double as a dresser. The clothing piled on one of the shelves barely passed as a swimsuit, and Sting crinkled his nose at the rising smell. She could really use a shower.

The girl in question was sprawled out on the mattress, her spirit Virgo sitting beside her, trying to convince her to drink. They appeared to be the only ones in the cramped room, her keys resting on the floor beside the maiden.

Sting shot Loke a look. "What the hell is going on?"

"She's not doing well," Loke said instead, seeming to ignore his question. He attempted to straighten his glasses when Sting realized they were busted, the bridge over his nose broken and one side higher than the other. "We can't get her to leave."

"What is she doing here?" he asked, looking around. "What are any of you doing here?"

Virgo looked up then, and Sting was surprised to see her eyes were wet. He'd never seen the pink-haired woman cry before, and it was something else indeed. "She's not well. She won't let us take her away."

"Then get Natsu to do it," he scowled, looking around. No way did her partner let this happen. Natsu would never let the girl fall so far; this had to be a mistake. "He-"

" _Don't_ say his name!" Loke roared, surprising the blond as he jumped back. "He hasn't been around for princess in almost a year!"

Sting's eyebrows shot up. He'd assumed like everyone else that Natsu had to be nearby. It seemed impossible that the pinkette would abandon her after the guild's disbandment. "What? Where did he go?"

"Who cares," Loke growled, looking towards Lucy again. She was clearly out of it, her eyes fluttering as her arms jerked around every few seconds. There were scratch marks on her wrists that weren't there when Sting saw her earlier, barely deep enough to draw blood.

"What happened?" he asked again, refusing to move closer. He didn't know Lucy like her spirits did, and he wasn't sure how her lion would react if he got closer.

"She's addicted," Virgo replied, lifting her head again. "She won't leave because she doesn't know where else to get some."

Sting frowned, glancing between the pair. He could smell their unease, how each spirit was barely holding back rage. "Get what, drugs?"

"It's the only reason she stays," Loke sneered, glaring at Sting. "He has his claws in her."

"Who?" he asked, trying to keep up. Whatever was going on clearly wasn't new, and when his eyes fell on Lucy again he noticed how thin she looked. Before he'd only accounted for the lack of clothing she had, but in the dim light of the room he could see that her taunt stomach was actually too thin, sucking in just past her hipbones. In the crop top he realized he could make out several of her ribs, and her wrists did seem exceptionally bony.

Eyebrows shooting up, he shot a look towards the distressed lion. "How could you let her get like this!?"

"She won't let us take her away!" Loke seethed, turning to glare at Sting. "She finds ways to trick us back into our keys, always. She won't allow us to take her to help. We still serve Lucy, even if she's not in her right mind." He shook his head, the telltale signs of tears beginning to prick the corners of his eyes. "She… she'll threaten anything if we challenge her. She doesn't have limitations anymore."

Sting frowned, disturbed by how much he agreed. The nearly-naked girl was nothing like the bubbly, kind mage he knew as part of Team Natsu. She'd been ready to let him take her in a fucking alley! He didn't want to think about what else she was okay giving up.

Wetting his lips, he got a bad feeling in his stomach. "She just comes back here at night?"

"If she's too high," Loke scowled, "or if she's made enough for the night. Sometimes… sometimes she brings people back-"

Loke cut off, shaking his head as he paced the small space. "I thought you might be a _client_ until I heard your voice. I recognized it immediately and assumed you weren't here to… sleep with her."

Cringing, Sting tried to get that picture out of his mind. This was a lot more than he bargained for. He expected someone to pop out and fight him, argue that he couldn't see the drugged, disoriented girl.

Instead he found two broken spirits, clearly devastated by their master's choices. He tried to not look into their eyes, seeing the silent plea there.

What could she possibly be doing to keep her most devoted spirits from seeking out help? How long had she been in the brothel giving herself to whoever would pay? His stomach flipped at the thought, the horrible smell around them seeming to close in.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Do you guys have someplace to go if you left?" he asked, his eyes glancing around. He couldn't imagine anything in this room held true value to Lucy, but he didn't know how he'd manage to take it if it did.

Loke shot him a look, the pain in his eyes magnified. "Lucy lives here. She has for weeks."

"So you guys don't have anywhere to go if I helped you leave?"

Shaking his head, the pair of spirits exchanged a glance. "We can't carry Lucy out; it's obvious. No one's supposed to leave once they agree to work here. I tried once, and I got beaten too badly to remain outside my gate. It's hard to fight everyone when she's fighting us too."

Sting frowned, feeling his pulse begin to quicken. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't imagine a sane Lucy would be in a position like this, but she obviously wanted to stay for one reason or another. She'd make a fuss if they tried to leave, and if her spirits couldn't make her what was he supposed to do.

He thought he could do a good deed for the day, maybe get her back to her apartment and head on his way. He had no idea Lucy made her money exclusively by selling herself, or that her home was nothing more than a closet upstairs that overlooked an alley –

Cocking an eyebrow, he shifted to the other side of the room and peered out the window. "Ever tried going that way before?"

"We tried twice," Virgo said, meeting his gaze when he turned. "Once… the owner found us and Lucy sent us back. We don't know what happened after that. The other time she… she forced Taurus's gate closed after he jumped-"

Virgo cut herself off, pressing a hand over her mouth. She pointed, Sting's eyes following the line to Lucy's shoulder. Now that he focused on it, it did look off. He couldn't say exactly what was wrong with it, but it definitely looked misshapen. Obviously the fall left some lasting damage, and any guilt her spirits felt would keep them from trying again.

If they thought walking through the house was a bad idea, that window was the only other option to get back out. And Lucy couldn't wake up and make him disappear mid jump. The worst that might happen would be if she screamed.

Opening the window, he leaned out and relished at the smell of clean air. It wasn't that high up, and he figured if she didn't squirm it wouldn't be too hard.

Sting took a deep breath, remaining where he was. He should've just sucked it up and let Yukino yell at him. He wouldn't be in this mess now, and he wouldn't feel the overpowering guilt if he walked away. He wouldn't have known the hell Heartfilia managed to get herself into.

And why. He wouldn't have to wonder why.

If he walked away now, he wouldn't be able to continue being a guild master. He wouldn't be able to stomach knowing he left a wizard in need because it was easier.

Sighing, he looked back towards the two spirits, hints of hope twinkling in their eyes. "I can probably jump out of here with her. We aren't high up. You said one of the other spirits tried?"

Loke nodded, his movements stiff. "Lucy forced his gate closed. She woke up before he'd gotten out the window. That's how she managed to force him back mid jump. She landed on her shoulder and broke it."

Sting scowled, understanding the spirits hesitation. The idea hadn't worked twice before, why would it work better now. "And the other time, when you got caught?"

He shook his head, the devastation showing on his features once more. "She won't say. When her brain isn't muddled… I can see her. Our Lucy. She won't tell us what happened."

"So you can't tell me who to expect," he grumbled, seeing the severe flaws in the plan. "Or what?"

"I think the owner is with one of the girls," Virgo interrupted, cringing when Loke's eyes flashed. "He should be preoccupied for a while longer, big brother."

He didn't need either spirit to elaborate; he got the picture. They'd been waiting for Lucy to be out of it enough to intervene again, and hopefully not be stopped. She needed to be far away from her vise, and the situation was a perfect set up to try. After listening to the problems they had in the past, he imagined they wouldn't get another chance like this again.

Sting looked down at the former fairy, wondering if this was a form of kidnapping. He found his eyes couldn't rest on her too long, his stomach flipping at the unhealthy skinniness and the large amounts of skin.

He'd noticed there were bruises on her skin, something else he hadn't fully realized until now. Clearly the _clients_ she slept with were rough, which had his blood boiling.

Like it or not, he couldn't leave her there. His mind was made up before the spirits ever spoke up.

"Can one of you grab her things?" he asked, pulling off his jacket. He ignored the wake Loke tensed, tossing the garment to Virgo. "Put that on her at least."

The woman's eyes flashed. "I could-"

"Just do it," he sighed, glancing at the meager belongings. His eyes swerved to the shreds of fabric she appeared to be wearing as clothes, his nose wrinkling. "Is there anything in here she needs?"

Loke nodded, grabbing the few books and her key ring. He focused on the empty bookcase for a moment before snarling, turning away. "We can find her something to wear from the spirit world."

Glad that Loke had the same mindset Sting turned back, intending to pick up the mage. She still seemed completely out of it, and Virgo kept touching her several times to ensure she was okay.

Lucy didn't even seem to notice. Her breathing had steadied, and he wondered if she was asleep. Glancing between the spirits he moved forward, deciding to get this over with sooner than later.

He knew how long the _owner_ would be occupied.

"Take these," Loke interrupted, moving forward to hand Sting the keys. "She tried… she tried to throw them into the river once when she was angry. Keep these until she's okay. We can check on her even if you're the one holding them."

Sting grasped the ring of keys, feeling the heaviness in Loke's words. Lucy, who had fought tooth and nail previously to protect her friends, wanted to throw them into a river? What had to snap in her mind for that to seem like a good solution?

He didn't know this fairy well, but the pain she was experiencing was palpable. Something had to happen to swerve her sense of right and wrong in such an obtuse direction, but he couldn't begin to fathom what.

Hooking her keys onto his belt, he nodded to the spirits. Loke pushed the window open as far as it would go, Virgo backing up so Sting could pick up the mage. She felt too frail in his arms, almost tossing her when he exerted too much force picking her up. She was practically skin and bones.

His stomach rolling, he faced the window. Loke took it a step farther, removing as much of the frame as he could without making too much extra noise. Virgo jumped out first, disappearing over the sill.

Sting's grip tightened on the girl in his hands. Whatever happened, he had to get her out of this toxic place and to someplace safe. He wasn't sure if he could make it back to the guild hall quickly, and there was no telling how long she'd stay conked out.

"I'll meet you on the ground," Loke explained, the handful of books still tucked in his grasp. "In case someone comes up here."

He wasn't sure that was something to fear. So far he hadn't noticed any new scents, and the ones he did he really didn't want to scent. Propping himself up on the windowsill he checked both ways, searching with his eyes and nose to make sure they weren't falling into a trap.

He hoped not.

Hopping over the sill he braced himself, landing as stiffly as he could to not jostle the woman in his arms. She groaned but didn't wake, her eyes continuing to flutter behind closed lids. A second later Loke followed, looking relieved that they even made it that far.

"Now we just-"

Loke jerked, jumping as one with Virgo out of the way as a beam of magic shot past. Sting ducked and rolled, putting himself between Lucy and the attacker.

"It's the owner!" Virgo shrilled. "Get Lucy out! We'll return to our keys when we finish!"

Normally Sting would argue, but he'd seen the loyalty spirits displayed when protecting their master. If both Loke and Virgo were prepared to buy him a bit of time to get Lucy away, then there had to be a reason. Nodding once, he turned and bolted, even though every muscle in his body screamed at him to stay and fight.

Sting covered several blocks in a matter of minutes, his ears on high alert for any sounds of pursuit. Out here he could breathe the fresh air, the suffocating stench of the brothel fading as he put distance between them. His nose didn't notice anything amiss, and once he felt they were a safe distance he finally slowed down, pausing to lean against the side of the building as he panted.

Lucy was still passed out in his arms, her fingers twitching every now and then. When she woke he knew she'd be volatile, but he didn't know what to do with her.

Bringing her back to the guild was logical, but he didn't know if he could make it before she woke up. He also had no idea what time it was, and at any given moment it could begin to brighten as dawn approached. The last thing he needed was to be seen dragging an unconscious girl around in alleys.

Setting Lucy down on the cleanest spoke he could see, Sting dug out the lacrima in his pocket. He hadn't had the intention of using it, but he always kept one just in case. Flicking on the screen, he already knew he was screwed.

Whatever happened now, he'd altered Lucy's future for better or worse.

"Sting?" Rogue asked, wiping sleep from his eyes as he came into focus. It was apparently still plenty late, and in the background he could see Frosch stirring. "What's going on?"

Sighing, he wondered why he had to decide to try and be a nice guy today. "I need some help."

 **A/n: So… I shouldn't be posting new stories but the draft for this story has been on my computer for a while now and I decided it was time to publish. I have yet to write a story about Lucy getting hurt when Natsu left so here I am, giving it my own spin.**

 **I will update my other stories, I just needed something new to work with. Let me know what you think and if I should continue! For some reason, I just love Sting and Lucy! R & R.**


	2. Chapter 2

"But what happened?!" Yukino screamed again, clenching the front of Sting's jacket. "Why don't we go kill that scumbag!?"

"I don't know who he is," Sting replied tiredly, clawing her hands off of him. "I told you that already. Getting hysterical isn't helping Lucy."

She scowled, jabbing a finger his direction. "You were hysterical when you arrived!"

"That's because she was trying to _bite_ me," he snapped back.

Yukino shook her head, pacing the doors in front of their infirmary. Rufus sent everyone out over an hour ago, demanding that he needed peace and time to sedate Lucy and try to find some way to keep her comfortable and controlled while her body began fighting through the withdrawals. All Yukino got to do was call out Gemini to assist him with helping Lucy, but aside from that everyone was overly hysterical and Rufus couldn't take it.

Sting had to agree. The last several hours were nothing if not disastrous. From the moment he called Rogue to come help him bring Lucy to Sabertooth everything spun out of control, and he was just lucky she stayed unconscious until they were nearly inside the guild before making a scene. Any outburst in one of the alleys along the way would've made things that much worse.

Just as they'd reached the guild Lucy woke up, fighting tooth and nail to get away. She'd attempted to bite Sting to the point that he ended up dropping her, and it took more effort than one would think to catch her again. She didn't appear to recgnoize either of them, turning tail almost immediately after he dropped her to bolt away. She staggered like she was drunk, her limbs shaking and useless the longer she ran. By the time they managed to grab her she was slipping back into a delirium again, and Sting was just glad that though she was hysterical she didn't appear to have enough energy to try doing that again.

By the time she was in the actual infirmary, she'd worked herself up so much she ended up passing out once more. Without having to ask Rufus, Sting knew she was severely dehydrated and malnourished. Without a word he had Gemini assist with inserting an IV into her arm, so she could at least begin taking in water once more. Sting had no idea how long she'd deprived herself.

Glancing to the side now, Sting took in Loke's face. He'd come out of Lucy's keys along with Gemini, and refused to return until he knew how she was doing. So far the doors hadn't budged, and there was no telling how long it would take for her condition to become stable. Whatever she'd been taking took a toll on her wellbeing, and even during the few minutes she was awake Sting saw the first signs of withdrawal.

Yukino stomped her foot, spinning on Loke again. "Why don't you know who the boss is?!"

Loke cringed at her voice, the girl having asked the same question four times. Sting knew he had absolutely no idea who the man was, and Lucy refused to tell any of her spirits who she was working for. Even blitzed she'd managed to keep some secrets.

Leaning against the wall, he missed whatever Loke said. Bringing Lucy back to safety was one thing, but keeping her was another. He had no idea how she ended up selling herself in alleyways, and he didn't know if the man who _owned_ her would come knocking.

Sting's irrational side almost hoped he did. How could anyone treat a person like that?

Thinking back to Loke's and Virgo's words, he was almost certain that the man would try to come for her. He may not know who took her yet, but Sting was recognizable enough that it wouldn't take long to put two and two together. Surely someone had to remember seeing his face last night, and if not whoever tried attacking them may have caught sight of his retreating form.

Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Lucy certainly didn't want to be here, which would complicate things. She'd fight tooth and nail to leave, especially if they refused to give her drugs. Keeping her in one place would be a fight in itself.

"She was okay living there?" Rogue asked quietly, leaning against the same wall. He'd been pondering Sting's half-assed explanation since he called, and thus far he hadn't actually gotten an opportunity to further explain. "She doesn't seem like the type to end up in a situation like this."

"Ya think?" Sting snapped. Part of him was angry he didn't simply leave the girl to her own downfall, but he couldn't do it. Now he had to deal with not only his friend's responses to Lucy's arrival, but everyone else's too.

He was making his own problems, ones he wasn't entirely sure how to handle.

He'd actually have to find out where some of the other Fairy Tail mages were. It wasn't like he was keeping tabs. Surely someone had to know what spiraled Lucy out of control. There was no way all of her friends just abandoned her.

And where the hell was Natsu?

Rogue shook his head, remaining in the same state of disengaged surprise since he'd located Sting on his way back to the guild. "There's no rational reason for someone like Lucy to be on drugs. She has so much support and love around her."

"Apparently it failed her somewhere along the way," Sting grumbled, keeping his voice low as well. He didn't feel like making her lion angry right now.

Screams inside the room caught his attention, and at the same time Rogue's ears twitched. Everyone froze outside the door, conversation dying on their lips. Pain flashed immediately through Loke's and Yukino's eyes, and he felt his own gut twist at the sound.

Deciding that waiting around wasn't a viable option he shifted, throwing open the door to see what was going on. Footsteps caught his attention, and he smelled her before catching sight of her, the blonde attempting to claw away from Rufus and towards the door.

Loke pushed through after him, nearly shoving Sting out of the way. He seemed to need no further invitation to go on inside. "Lucy!"

To one side Gemini sat on an opposite bed, morphed back into themselves and looking terrified at the scene. Lucy was in the midst of trying to throw Rufus off of her, the remnants of something glass shattered on the floor nearby.

Sting's gaze hardened when he noticed the new blood on her arm, and realized she must've ripped the IV out in a mad dash to escape. Her years of training seemed to elude her as Lucy was using no magic, and appeared to be relying on diminished brute strength to get away. She hadn't managed to do much so far, flailing unsuccessfully in Rufus's hold as she failed to escape.

Then again, Rufus was bleeding.

"Let me go!" she screamed, throwing her head back and forth as she struggled. She had managed to do a little damage, Rufus' hat cast off to one side and his nose bloodied, supposedly from meeting the back of her head. "Let go! I need it! I'll do whatever you want! Just give me some, please!"

Sting's eyes widened, taking in the feral expression in her eyes. It was reminiscent of the moments they shared in the alleyway, only Lucy was entirely unhinged now and struggling against anyone who stood between her and her vise.

Yukino flashed in the corner of his eye, and he glanced over in time to see Rogue catching her arm, keeping her back from the fray. She hadn't seen Lucy when she first arrived, and the horror at what her friend had become was palpable in her eyes.

"Lucy," Loke said, bringing Sting back to the problem at hand. "Please-"

"Get away from me!" she screamed, her eyes filled with tears. She attempted to kick him, convincing the spirit to remain at a distance. "Get away! You don't care about me!"

Even while only being able to see the back of his head, Sting could sense the blow that took to Loke's heart. He'd seen the care her spirits exhibited towards her more than once, and to hear those words slip out of her mouth was a punch even to him. No wonder her spirits were so devastated when he arrived.

"I care about you," he replied quietly, "so, so much. But you need to let them help you. You're not well."

"I'm fine!" she screamed, fighting Rufus again. Over her head he shot the others a terrified look, like he didn't know what to do with her.

Sting couldn't blame him. They weren't prepared for this. Looking sideways towards Rogue the pair shared a glance, and he wondered if it would be smart to approach yet or not. Rufus appeared to have gotten a handle on things for the moment, and going any closer would only set her off more.

"He's gonna kill me!" she screamed, whipping her head around. "You know it Loke! How could you let me leave? He's gonna make me-"

"He's not going to make you do anything," Loke barked, just as Gemini pulled back at her words. The pair trembled, clutching together out of fear. "Ever again. I won't let you go back there."

Lucy wailed, going slack in Rufus's grip. He nearly dropped her, surprised when she let her weight fall into him. Her head lulled back into his shoulder, and Sting watched her legs nearly buckle under her. She had to be close to passing out, or still lost in the tail end of whatever delusion the drugs put her into before.

"I just need my fix," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking. "Please, please Loke, I need it."

Helpless, the lion spirit glanced backwards at the others. He looked torn, unsure how to handle what she was asking. Talking to her in this state obviously took its toll. His eyes met Sting's, begging for some sort of assistance. He'd fought these demons before to no avail.

Inwardly, he groaned. He had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to say in a situation like this. Clearing his throat, he hoped something halfway decent came out.

"If you let Rufus fix you up we'll get something to make you feel better," he reasoned, glancing towards Loke several times as he spoke. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing to say or not.

Lucy's eyes widened when he spoke, recognition dancing through her eyes. "Sting! Sting you have to help me!"

He cringed. Hours ago she didn't recognize him until he practically spelled it out to her. If she did remember him before, this new recognition it could be due to that one occurrence and not the other times they'd crossed paths. "I'm trying to help."

She pulled in Rufus's grip, and he looked half tempted to let go. After a moment of hesitation Sting nodded, deciding he could at least save the poor man from getting smacked in the face again. She flew forward, nearly slamming into the concrete before catching herself on her hands. Loke tried to move forward to help but she waived him off, pressing up on her hands and knees to stare at Sting.

Like before, Sting immediately noticed how ill-fitting the clothing was. The crop top gaped away from her chest, revealing the lack of a bra beneath. He heard Rogue suck in a breath beside him, unprepared for the brazen show.

He couldn't even look in Rogue's direction. What was he supposed to say for her behavior? He'd brought a lunatic back, and right now he didn't think there would be any real reasoning with her. She didn't seem to understand how inappropriate and disappointing the show was.

This wasn't Lucy.

She reached up, teetering on her one arm as she tried to balance. Her fingers wrapped around a lock of her dirtied hair, twisting the off-blonde locks around her finger. In the brilliant light of the infirmary he could see that they were caked in grime. "M-my offer still stands. Anything you want, baby. Anything. Anything, please! Just get me more!"

Sting's eyes bulged, stepping forward when her hand slipped down towards the wayward neckline of her loose blouse. Loke moved as well, but she tried to claw him as he approached.

She might try to bite him again, but Sting would rather have that than watch her disgrace herself.

"No, no offers," he argued, dragging her up from the floor. She immediately fell into him, her hands unsure whether they wanted to grasp his clothing or scratch at the raw skin at her wrists. "Come on, Rufus is going to help you."

Her head swiveled around, glancing at Rufus as he set aside a wad of reddened Kleenex. "H-hey," she tried again, stumbling as she attempted to turn, "I can offer you-"

"That's quite alright Lucy," Rufus cut in, nodding towards the bed once more. He didn't look angry about his nose, which was saying a lot since Sting practically dragged him out of bed to come in and try to help her earlier. "I have something for you instead."

Her eyes lit up, and she glanced earnestly between the two. Sting felt his stomach roll, deciding he'd rather not know what she thought was going to happen. He held her arms stiffly until they reached the bed again, hoping Rufus had some type of plan for what happened next.

He sure as hell didn't.

"Lay down," he snapped, holding something in his hands. Sting sniffed, realizing he was holding some sort of medicine, probably something that would knock her out for a while. Maybe then he could actually set about trying to get her fixed up.

Lucy eagerly complied, almost like a trained puppy. She nearly leapt out of Sting's hands, eager to hop up on the bed once more. She laid down flat on her back, keeping her legs apart much wider than necessary. Her fingernails scratched against the sheets, fighting the urge to go for her skin again.

From the way she forced herself to remain that way, Sting realized she must've done it before. He glanced towards Yukino and Rogue, the white haired woman looking particularly sick as she took in her friends' actions. Rogue somehow managed to keep her well and away, which was the only saving grace. To one side of Lucy's feet Loke stood, close enough to help but hopefully not to draw forth her rage.

Rufus met Sting's eyes, looking rather nervous. Without his hat he looked unkept, his hands bouncing together uncertainly, and he wet his lips before speaking. "Open your mouth."

She did so immediately, seeming pleased with herself when she responded so readily. Sting watched Rufus curiously, the way he hesitated twice before motioning to grabbing her face and keeping her mouth open.

His eyes widened, feeling only a little uneasy. Whatever was in that bottle, Rufus intended to try to pour it down her throat and make her drink it, whether she wanted to or not. It was probably the only way they'd get her to have any.

At least with her mouth full, she shouldn't have an opportunity to bite him again.

Rufus counted silently on his fingers, seeming just as unnerved about the unspoken plan as Sting felt. On three Sting snapped forward, forcing her mouth open with one hand and grabbing her arm with the other. Vaguely on her other side he noticed Rufus grasping her other arm as well.

Her eyes snapped open, panic immediately setting in when he poured the liquid down her throat. She sputtered and choked, trying to dispel as much of the liquid as she could, her screams muffled by her choking.

"Swallow," Sting urged, forcing her jaw shut with more than a little effort. He could see the terror mixed with anger in her eyes, and she appeared absolutely terrified by what was happening. He fought down a wave of nausea at what they were doing, wondering if they were any better than the men she was stuck with right now. "I promise it'll help. Trust me Lucy, I'll get you something else to help soon, but you have to do this."

She choked again, managing to spit some of it back out on the pair. Sting wrinkled his nose but refused to let go, aware that she was swallowing some without consent

He felt like shit as she sputtered on the last of it, her eyes already half hooded by the time she finished. Whatever Rufus just gave her was fast acting, and he hoped that was a good thing.

"Let us help you," he said again, letting up on her jaw when Rufus nodded. Lucy's head lulled to one side, suddenly exhausted. "Let us find your friends."

She didn't say anything more, and in a few moments she was completely knocked out, her stiffened muscles going slack in his grip. He let up immediately and took a step back, assessing her for any further damage. When he was satisfied he glanced at Rufus, who was already setting the empty bottle aside.

"She broke the first one," he explained. "Soon as she woke up she went directly for the bottle and broke it. When I grabbed her she slammed into my nose."

Sting nodded, feeling distant. "Figured."

"What was that?" Loke asked, snapping Sting out of the fog in his head. "What did you just give her?"

"It's to help with sleep and pain," Rufus explained, flipping the glass around to show a label. "I had to give her something to calm her down, and I don't really keep supplies for withdrawals. I don't know what else to give her right now."

Nodding, Sting ran a hand through his hair. "She'll be out a while?"

"Probably an hour or two, maybe more with her weight. I tried to account for that when giving it to her."

"Right," he sighed, looking at everyone else in the room. "Take a few and get your nose cleaned up. If there's lasting damage I'll ask the doc to look at it."

Rufus frowned. "Doc?"

"We need a doctor," he stressed, shaking his head. "We aren't prepared to handle this. You just said so yourself."

Agreeing, Rufus turned and reached for some disinfectant on the table. "I'm not so worried about my nose of all things. She smacked it but didn't break it. I don't know if she was strong enough to. Maybe when the drug is working full force, but otherwise…"

Sting didn't need further explanation, glancing up when Yukino approached. She didn't say anything, reaching for one of the extra blankets between beds before throwing it over Lucy's very exposed legs. He actually felt a little better looking at her once that was done.

"Go on back Gemini," Loke muttered, drawing his attention to the twin spirits. They still looked terrified, fear echoing in the emptiness of their eyes. "Tell the others she's being looked after. I'll be there in a minute."

Without a word the spirits disappeared, causing Loke to swivel his gaze the other way towards Yukino, who'd gone back to hugging herself. "I set some clothing for Lucy on the bed over there. Virgo picked it out, so it should be pretty good. Make sure she gets it. It should be her size."

"Right," Yukino replied, unable to shift her gaze from Lucy's form.

Loke paused long enough to take off his glasses, rubbing the fog from the moisture in his eyes away. He'd clearly cried when they had to hold Lucy down to get her to take medicine, the reality of everything setting in. He shook his head, meeting Sting's gaze. "I should've gotten her out of there sooner."

"What matters is she's out now," Sting reasoned, nodding to Rogue. "And she needs a doctor. What guild did Wendy Marvel join? We have to find her or Chelia immediately. They will be the fastest to come and repair the damage done."

"I don't know if their magic can fix addiction," Rogue reminded solemnly.

"Well we won't know until we try," Sting snapped, rubbing his temple. At this rate, it was going to be a long night. "Look for a medical doctor too. If those two can't fight withdrawal then we need someone who knows what they are doing. Get Orga and the others on it."

Rogue nodded but didn't move, studying the blond before him. Sting tilted his head, wondering what the hell he was doing. "Your hands are shaking."

Surprised, Sting's head whipped down to look. Indeed, his hands were shaking, the weight of what he'd gotten the guild into resting heavily on his shoulders. This wasn't the type of bad guy they were used to fighting. Clenching them into fists he looked away, peering out the window instead. "Just do it."

He didn't comment again, forcing Yukino to leave with him. Sting remained where he was, staring down at the girl before him. Her hands twitched despite the medicine, her head beginning to shift on the pillow. Whatever she was dreaming about, it was definitely enough to keep her mind active.

Loke said down heavily on the bed across from Lucy, drawing the pair's attention again. He looked worse for wear despite returning to the spirit world for several hours, the bags beneath his eyes darker than Sting recalled. "Fuck."

"You should go back and get some rest," Rufus reasoned, studying Lucy again. "She should stay out for a few hours. She can't harm herself while asleep."

Scoffing, the lion spirit shook his head. "You'd be surprised what she can do." He hesitated, looking away from the group. "Maybe you should contact Porlyusica. She used to help the guild often when members were injured. You guys don't have someone like that."

"We have a few," Sting sighed, "but this is serious. We need someone who's actually good."

Nodding, Loke pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I'll tell Libra about her then and I'm sure she'll relay to Yukino how to contact her. When you find Wendy she might know too."

Sting nodded, hesitating before speaking again. "You really don't know where anyone else is?"

He shook his head, his eyes dulling. "For a while, Lucy kept track of everyone. When things changed, she stopped caring and destroyed her track record. I didn't think this would ever happen, so I didn't worry about memorizing her notes. I should've."

"We'll find them," Sting replied, crossing his arms. "Now go back. You won't be of any help to Lucy of you are dead on your feet."

It took several tries but Loke eventually relented, returning to the spirit world with promises to check back in a couple hours. Sting didn't doubt he would, turning his attention fully back to the woman on the bed. He swept his eyes over her, still unable to believe this was Natsu's former teammate.

Frowning, he realized the shirt still gaped on her chest, revealing a lot of skin. He reached down to draw the blanket up further but Rufus stopped him, placing a hand atop the slayers wrist. "What?"

Rufus wet his lips, tilting his head to one side before pointing to her wrist. "Did you notice those?"

Sting hesitated before grabbing her wrist, studying the skin atop before flipping it over. On the underside the skin was scratched raw like before, but in the light he noticed something new, his jaw falling open as his other hand came up, tracing the scars with his finger before dropping her arm like it burned him.

He glared out the window again. "Self-harm."

"They aren't that old," he continued, assessing the girl. "And they appear to be cut at odd angles."

"What do you mean?"

Rufus paused, shrugging. "It's not an exact science, but typically people who self-harm cut in straight or near straight lines. Cuts that are closer to following the tendons and blood vessels vertically can cause more damage and sever more tissue." He lifting her other hand, her fingers twitching as he did so. "See these that are slanted? They've healed poorly. You can see the way the skin was torn."

Sting frowned, not following along. "And?"

"They seem to be cut away from her body. There's no reason Lucy would do that, when she can commit to more pressure and a better angle by cutting inward. These scars are deeper as well. There's a chance they were made by someone else."

Sting's mood soured, his lips tugging into a perpetual down-turned motion as he studied her. Wasn't it enough that she was getting drugged out of her mind and sleeping with people for money? What kind of punishment was befitting enough to slash someone else's wrists?

"There's more," he continued, though he sounded almost afraid to. "Her collarbone here-"

"Loke said her spirits tried taking her away from there once," Sting explained, cutting in. "One of her spirits tried taking her out through the window, and between the sill and the ground she forced his gate closed and broke it in the fall."

Pressing his lips together, Rufus nodded. "The bone is healed incorrectly. Maybe if we broke the bone again it would do something and possibly heal properly, but honestly I'm not sure. If Wendy comes then she might be able to repair the damage, but this wound is weeks old. It may never heal."

Sting closed his eyes, trying to ignore the anger bubbling up in his gut. He didn't know Lucy very well, but he understood her well enough to know she didn't deserve all this pain. "Anything else?"

He hesitated, apparently at war with himself. After a few moments he set aside the notes he'd been making, wiggling his fingers a few times before awkwardly rubbing his head.

"Don't kill the messenger."

Sting narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"I… uh, I just noticed it when she was flailing around. I um, I haven't really gotten to look at this but I think it's bad."

"What's bad?"

"Well…" Rufus stopped, cleared his throat and tried again. "There's something on her left breast."

He froze, looking down. The top was dipped pretty low and he didn't see any marks there. "How did-"

"A-around the nipple area," Rufus continued, his face beat red. "It's a dark red circle."

Sting frowned, "like a hickey?"

"No Sting," he snapped, looking offended. "I wouldn't bother bringing it up if it was a hickey. It looked more like teeth marks."

He let the information shift through his brain, trying to decide what to do with it. "Do you think it's something that needs to be healed?"

Rufus shrugged. "I wasn't really trying to look, it's just something I kind of ended up seeing. I couldn't tell if it's old or new and honestly right now it's not my biggest concern. Making sure she doesn't harm herself, or anyone else, is."

Sting nodded, deciding he had a little time to try and figure out what to do next. "I'm going to find you someone to help."

"Good. From the looks of it, she'll need all the help she can get."

 **A/n: So here's chapter two. I really have this thing for dark stories, so I intend to keep this one fairly morbid at least in the beginning. Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

When Lucy woke up, the first thing she noticed was the drumming headache.

The second was that her wrists were bound to the bed.

She blinked, fighting off the dizziness in her head as she blinked, trying to take in her surroundings. This didn't look like her room, the bed was too high and comfortable, and there was way too much light. She tried to reach up and touch her head until she remembered that she was bound, and then she started jerking around.

She did _not_ want to be held down.

"It's for your own good," someone said, drawing her attention. She blinked several times until her vision cleared enough to see, taking in Loke's pained expression as he watched her. "You were trying to scratch your skin off in your sleep."

She flailed, throwing her legs around sluggishly. Her movements felt slow, like everything was happening in moments after her brain thought of it. "W-what's happening?"

He pressed his lips together, looking like he was afraid to answer. "You're at Sabertooth-"

"What?!" she screamed, trying to sit upright. Without her arms it was next to impossible, and she settled for throwing her head around instead. "Get me out of here! I can't be here! I have jobs to do!"

Loke flinched at her words. "You're not taking any more work princess, I can't let you."

"Fuck you!" she screamed, barely acknowledging when he flinched back at her words. She spun her head back and forth, looking for something to help her. "Virgo! Virgo get out here and I'll punish you! Get me out of here!"

"Virgo's not coming," he said softly. "None of them are, Lucy. I told them to stay away from their gates until you're better."

"You don't tell them what to do! I do!"

"Would you listen to yourself?" he snapped, sounding disgusted. "Look what those drugs have done to you. You never used to be this way. You need to heal, princess. I won't let you hurt us anymore with what you've done, or yourself."

Lucy growled. "He's going to kill me! I – I have to meet my quota-"

"There's a quota?" someone asked, interrupting her. She stopped talking, fingers twitching as she tried to scratch at her skin. She felt sticky, like she'd been sweating for a while. From this position she couldn't tell who just spoke. "You didn't mention that."

Loke looked pale, staring at Lucy like he'd never seen her before. "I – I didn't know."

Suddenly a blond head appeared to her right side and Lucy spun her head the other way to observe, surprised when she recognized the person there. "Sting?"

"You're finally up," he deadpanned, looking unamused. "I was getting tired of you deliriously trying to offer sex to me."

She blinked, trying to recall what he was talking about. She couldn't focus long, her mind flying back to what she was missing. Her hands clenched together, desperation appearing in her eyes. "I – I need my fix."

"I've heard," he agreed, looking irritated. "You've told me, Loke's told me, you told me again. I'm not getting you drugs Heartfilia."

She whined, barely registering that the noise came out of her. "I can give you what you want-"

"I don't _want_ anything from you," he corrected, "least of all sex. Fuck blondie, you're prostituting yourself for money."

She shook her head, the words sounding sluggish in her mind. "I – I have to meet my quota."

He narrowed his eyes. "What quota?"

Lucy shook her head again, throwing it back into the pillows as the headache increased. "You've gotta help me! I – I need them! It hurts."

She didn't see what happened next, but she thought she heard something being said, though by who she had no idea. Her vision darkened again, and she started beating her hands into the mattress, throwing her legs around to try and tip the bed over.

"I need it!"

* * *

Sting gestured for Rufus to come over when she snapped, realizing they weren't going to get anywhere with her during that stage of withdrawal. He stepped back from the bed once more, glancing at the tortured look on Loke's face as he watched the screaming girl.

Turning, he glanced in Wendy's direction. The poor girl looked traumatized watching her friend scream and cuss, throwing herself around like it would help. Beside her the girl she'd brought with – he believed her name was Chelia – pat her shoulder comfortingly as she cried.

"I – I did everything I could," she explained, clasping her hands together in front of her. She looked between Sting, Lucy, and Loke, before returning her eyes to the dragon slayer once more. "I don't know how else to help."

"You did great," he reasoned, coming to sit on the bed next to her, staring at the blonde across the room. "Addiction is something magic can't fix. It's not a physical wound."

Wendy cried, covering her mouth when the sob escaped. "T-the scars…"

Sting grimaced, staring at the dragon slayer across from him. He hadn't spent much time with Wendy but knew her skills were unmatched. She'd shown up within the same day that Yukino reached out to her, panicking when they explained that they'd found Lucy.

Apparently, her whereabouts were a mystery to exeryone. Fairy Tail disbanded, but he thought they would at least keep track of their own. The sky dragon slayer was horrified to learn what had happened to her friend and rushed over, but the action was futile.

She couldn't heal addiction and starvation. Lucy's drug usage depleted the nutrients in her body, and now she was trained to use the drugs as a supplement to actual consumption. When she was delirious earlier they tried to give her some water, which she promptly threw back up. Now there was a needle in her arm trying to hydrate her again, something Sting had only ever seen done a handful of times. Usually magic could take care of it.

She was in a bad way. Her ribs were just as noticeable as he first thought, and she'd been screaming about a quota since yesterday. She still hadn't murmured a name, but he assumed it was only a matter of time until she let something slip.

"H-how could someone do this?" Wendy continued, shaking her head as she stared. "How did Lucy end up here?"

"I don't know," Sting replied, answering for Loke. The spirit had gone mute, staring brokenly down at the girl passed out on the bed. "We're going to figure that out."

"I thought I could help more," Wendy continued, glancing around the room. "I – I thought-"

"You've never had to help someone with addiction before," Chelia interrupted, sitting down beside the bluenette. "You didn't know. I didn't either."

Wendy nodded. "I guess. I just figured I could help…"

Her voice trailed off, staring at Lucy's bare arms. The scars stood out in the light, vivid lines among her blown out veins. He could see the damage done from here, but after a thorough look over the girl, he'd seen more marks than he preferred.

 _Old_ marks. Fading bruises from fingerprints and scars. Wendy's magic revealed internal damage, some done by drugs, some it appeared by fights with god knew what. She looked better now that some of it was healed, but the scars on her arms mostly remained. Once the scar set, it was something healing magic couldn't remove.

His eyes danced over the blonde, staring briefly at her chest before moving on. He hadn't had the heart to show Wendy the mark on her breast, and after some rather uncomfortable looking with Rufus they determined it was old, and having the girl look at it wouldn't help anyway.

He was almost glad. Wendy was wrecked after being there for only a few hours. Seeing a violent act like that left behind might unravel her, and there were enough people coming unhinged in that room right now. They didn't need to add one more.

He tried to not think about the mark. It didn't do any good, and unless he could ask Lucy he wouldn't get any answers.

"Depending on what's in her system it could take a week or more to clear," Wendy explained, tapping her fingers together as everyone watched the girl. She'd passed out again from exhaustion and delirium. "I couldn't tell what it was. I'm not all that familiar with drugs anyway. I did try to contact Porlyusica, she may have something to help Lucy."

There was that name again. He'd heard it more than once, and hopefully this person really could be useful. He didn't know the first thing about what to do in a situation like this, but so long as he didn't betray his fears in front of the others he could pull it off.

Lucy was a problem he couldn't prepare for, and one he couldn't just walk away from once she fell into his lap.

"It'll be a waiting game," Rufus agreed, checking Lucy over once more before stepping back again. She'd only been there a day and already her presence caused bags to appear under his eyes, the stress of trying to keep her contained weighing heavily on Rufus' mind. Sting knew it wasn't fair to place the burden on his friend, but no one else in the guild knew enough to be helpful.

Hell, he was barely getting along, and he was supposed to be the damn leader.

"Thank you for coming," he said finally, shooting Wendy a strained smile. "I'm not sure if there's anything else that can be healed. It's all mental anguish and withdrawal symptoms now. I don't know if you can heal her anymore."

Wendy shook her head. "I can't. I wish I could but my magic doesn't work like that." Tears pricked her eyes and she brushed them away with the back of her hand. "I just wish I could do more."

"We all do," Sting agreed, nodding. "She just needs her system to clear like you said. Maybe then she can tell us more about what's going on."

He had failed to tell the girl that he knew where she'd been staying, and could probably march back there and beat down whoever held her there with drugs and sex. He didn't know who he would be facing, and there was a chance Lucy might run back there the moment they stopped tying her to the bed.

She was addicted, and possibly afraid, to the situation she was in. Watching her lash out at her spirits was enough to show that she wasn't herself, and the drugs were taking a toll on her. He'd never seen the Fairy act cruelly to her spirits, no matter the situation.

Now this? It didn't make any damn sense.

"I'm going to try and let the others know she is here," Wendy continued, feigning a smile. "Maybe they can help. Maybe we can all go and fight this guy together."

Sting resisted the urge to groan. He was afraid that Wendy's first response would be to reach out to old friend, and he didn't need a reengage conglomeration of Fairies showing up with vengeance on the mind.

He couldn't finance rebuilding the guild right now, and fairies were well known for their destruction. He didn't imagine having the lot of them show up out of nowhere would do his guild any good.

"We need to know what exactly he's done first," Sting reasoned, wishing Rogue stayed in the room. He'd left after Wendy and Chelia arrived, looking mildly horrified when the latter tried to pull his hair back into a ponytail. Since then he'd refused to come back upstairs, and Sting sincerely wished he'd get over it and return. He could really use someone with a level head right about now. "We don't know how much of a hold he has on her, or if the other people working there are in similar situations. Lucy could run back there once she wakes up because she is conditioned to."

 _Conditioned._ He hated how callous that sounded, like he was impartial to what she chose to do once she recovered. However, after seeing the lack of living conditions in that grovel, he wouldn't doubt that the man in charge taught his charges to return back to him, no questions asked.

The scars on her arms and chest were enough to annunciate his point. Even with all those scars, she remained there, drugged out of her mind and trying to give herself to people in alleys.

He crinkled his nose at the memory. There was definitely something holding Lucy there, and he was bound and determined to find out what once she was sober enough to explain.

Wendy shrugged beside him, forcing a smile. "I'm sure it'll take a little while for everyone to respond. Most of us, we've drifted since Fairy Tail broke up. We all chose our own paths. I don't know how long it will take for people to show up."

Sting held his tongue, deciding sarcasm probably wasn't the way to go. "Yeah, I figured. We don't have to rush. We need to wait for Lucy to wake up to find out what's really been going on."

It was another twenty minutes before Chelia could convince Wendy it was time to go, after forcing Sting to promise to let them know the moment Lucy woke up. There was little else she could do now that Lucy's physical injuries were healed. She had to eat and drink on her own, and the girl couldn't constantly replenish her body until the blonde decided to cooperate.

Besides, Wendy had her own life at another guild. She'd arrived late yesterday and stayed with Chelia through this morning, but it was evident seeing Lucy this way took it's toll. It would be better if she had some space between them to reflect on everything she'd seen.

Sting wasn't so lucky. He found himself in the infirmary again once the girls were gone, staring down at the blonde like he could will answers out of her.

He couldn't have an entire ex-guild storm Sabertooth. His credibility with his peers would be crushed, and the entire guild might descend into anarchy.

Glancing around, he wished Loke and Rufus stayed. The latter didn't like to stay in there longer than he had to, having seen more of the girl than he really cared to. Loke himself seemed tortured since arriving, and he knew the burden of keeping the others at bay was weighing him down. Of course her other spirits wanted to know how she was doing, but they just couldn't.

Sting understood. She was hurting them, and they didn't deserve to be lashed out at. Choosing to take the brunt of her rage though was not something Loke deserved.

A knock on the door drew him from his thoughts, and Sting almost relished the distraction.

"Some of the guild members want to know what you plan on doing with her," Rogue said, stepping into the room with him. "They are concerned about what this means for them."

Sting cringed, having feared as much. "I can't do anything until she is reasonable. You've seen her Rogue, she fights everyone tooth and nail."

He nodded, arching an eyebrow. "I get that. What the others don't get is that she can't leave right now, but they are spreading rumors about her. Some of them want her out of here, they are afraid her presence will bring a fight here that isn't ours."

Narrowing his eyes, Sting felt the weight of his title resting heavily upon him. "They want me to throw her out into the streets?"

Rogue held up his hands. "Some of them. Not me personally. I think she needs help desperately if she's delusional and still trying to let people touch her."

Sting nodded, agreeing. "I think it's conditioned into her now. It's her first response."

"And you still believe it's a good idea keeping her here? Whoever kept her had his hold on her, and I doubt he'll be okay just letting her waltz off."

"I know," he sighed. "But what am I supposed to do Rogue? She's… broken."

Reaching out, he pat the white dragon slayer's shoulder. "I don't know, but I definitely don't want your job."

* * *

Sting tried to keep his headache at bay. He'd convinced Rogue, none to easily, to stay upstairs in the infirmary for a while so he could come downstairs and deal with the chaos Lucy's arrival caused.

He should've stayed upstairs. Barely twenty minutes of this and he was ready to plow his head into a wall.

"It'd unnecessary," Dobengal reasoned, the most vocal about Lucy's arrival. "We're wasting our time caring for a Fairy."

"An ex-Fairy," he grumbled, shaking his head. "Fairy Tail's gone, remember?"

Dobengal didn't look fazed, crossing his arms as he continued. "What is with her anyway? Rogue and Rufus said they can't say, I gotta ask you. What's wrong, somebody rape her?"

Sting felt his eyebrow twitch, the headache increasing. "You say that rather lightly. This isn't a joke."

He shrugged. "I just wanna know. You can't rape the willing man. And from what I hear, she's very willing."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, reminding himself he couldn't beat down everyone who pissed him off. He didn't want a reputation that in any way reflected their previous masters. "Cut it out Dobengal. I'm not telling you anything until she's awake enough to get answers from. Quit trying to piss me off."

"It's working though," he replied, eyebrows rising. "I just wanna know if I should get ready for a fight cause you wanted to pick up a prostitute."

He sneered, glaring at the man. "Enough. Stop spreading rumors around the guild. She's in a bad way, and I won't know how bad exactly until she's awake enough to talk."

"Well if you need some help convincing her-"

"Enough!" he seethed, taking a step closer to the man. "You're not going to joke around about this. Something bad actually happened to her, and you're being a douche making fun of it. If all you want to do is be an ass, get out of my sight."

Dobengal smirked, leaning his shoulder against the wall. "Oh, did I hit a soft spot? Don't worry _master_ , I'd be gentle with her."

Sting felt the vein above his eye beginning to bulge. He forced his hands into his pockets, suppressing the magic inside. His first instinct was to fight first and ask questions later, but since being voted in as the new master he'd had to learn to fight the urge. He couldn't just lose control and fight people now, the entire guild's reputation rested on what he chose to do.

And Dobengal knew exactly how he thought. He'd also wanted to be the new guild master, but his attitude chased most of the members away. He was too gruff and narrow-minded, and he never saw the big picture.

He'd been waiting around for Sting to do something to cause people to question him, and he was taking full advantage now. Sting just hoped the majority of his guild mates were smart enough to see that suggesting taking advantage of the girl in her current state wasn't a good idea, and definitely didn't speak well to his ability to lead a guild.

It didn't make him any less angry that he could speak so callously about the girl upstairs. He'd have to let anyone who watched the infirmary know to not let Dobengal in. Sting really wasn't certain what that man was capable of.

"You're going to stay away from her," he replied, trying to keep his tone neutral. "She has protection from the guild, just like anyone else who ends up in the infirmary. I'm not making any decisions about what we will do until I can personally speak with her."

Dobengal scoffed, shaking his head. "She's not going to talk to you. I've walked past the infirmary, I've seen how she acts. Unless you are gonna put your-"

"Enough," he snarled, grabbing the other man's shirt, dragging him a little closer. "Do you really think it's going to look good to the rest of the guild if you keep mouthing off about someone who's barely conscious, really? When I know something about her the rest of you will too."

He huffed, pushing away from the blond. "Yeah, sure."

Sting watched him go, the weight of his words resting heavily on his shoulders. Did he really need to worry about his own guild trying to attack her too? He could see a million things going wrong if someone tried, and even more problems if Fairy Tail members started dropping in.

He clenched his hands, glancing around the room. He had to start getting control of things.

* * *

 _You need me._

 _Lucy blinked, looking around. She was back in her room, but she didn't feel so sluggish anymore. She could sit up properly, and looking down she saw her wrists weren't bound to the bed._

 _She clicked her tongue, thinking about it. Maybe they wanted her to perform, that's why she was stuck to the bed at there. If she was good maybe they'd give her some –_

 _She looked up at the sounds of footsteps approaching, her train of thought severed. Out of habit her legs slid apart, the tight skirt riding up her thighs._

 _She titled her head. This is how he liked her, already ready for him._

 _Her fingers twitched, looking for a vice that wasn't there. She fisted her hands tight, biting her lip to keep from whining. She needed her fix._

 _He hated when she whined. The old scars burned, and she recalled what happened when she was bad._

 _When he entered the room, his whole being seemed to suck the little warmth that was in there right out. She knew better now than to displease him, tilting her head down so she had to stare upward at him._

 _Compliant, he loved compliant._

" _Quota," he said, his voice as distorted as his figure. She couldn't make him out, he looked blurry. "You have to meet the quota or pay the price."_

" _I – I did," she said, but her hands wouldn't move to the purse. "I have the money."_

 _The figures head titled to the side, but she couldn't see his face. "Look at all I have done for you. You can't even bring me back my fair share. I require everyone to meet the quota. If you don't I have to punish you."_

" _No!" she screamed, trying to pull away from him. Her arms wouldn't work again, remaining uselessly at her sides. Her movements felt sluggish, and she didn't move quick enough to avoid him –_

Lucy gasped, waking with a start. Her head shot forward, smacking painfully into something she couldn't see. Someone grunted and the obstacle moved away, yet she couldn't sit up any further.

Right, her hands were restrained.

She spun her head around like earlier, waiting for the spots in her vision to fade after slamming her head into something. When she could see again she noticed Rogue standing nearby, rubbing his head and looking perturbed.

Rogue?

"I should've known better," he grumbled, looking annoyed. "A fever dream, caused by your withdrawal. Of course your fine."

Lucy was panting, and she tilted her head as she tried to process his words. Was he just checking on her, and she jolted up and hit him?

That didn't make sense. Nobody checked nobody checked nobody checked…

She shook her head, dropping it down onto the pillow again. Nobody ever checked on her.

Quota. She was supposed to be dealing with her quota.

Her head turned sluggishly, and she wondered if all her movements were that way when she jerked up. "I have make quota."

Rogue's eyebrows shot up. "Was that supposed to be a sentence?"

"Quota!"

He remained back from the bed, watching her curiously. She wanted to scream at him that she needed to, that bad things would happen if she didn't, but he mouth wasn't working. No words were coming out, and they were just staring at one another.

Rogue spoke first, breaking the silence. "I don't know who you were living with before, but Sting's not going to make you reach any quota. And whoever was can't come here. You don't need to worry about that."

Lucy shook her head, tears pricking her eyes. "I have to meet q-quota. He won't pay me."

He frowned, glancing towards the door like he was waiting for someone. "Isn't a quota usually money? Why would someone pay you money for money?"

She groaned, beating her hands on the sheets. "Not money!"

"I don't understand then."

She screamed, beating her hands on the bed when she jerked around again. She kicked at the blanket on her legs, successfully throwing it off. "My quota."

Rogue shook his head, and she could tell he thought she was going nuts. She felt a little nuts, sitting there screaming about quotas not meaning money.

All she wanted was her fix, and she damn well knew Rogue couldn't give her that.

Sting? Where was Sting? She needed to get out of there…

"I – I gotta go," she groaned, desperately trying to touch herself. She felt feverish, and she needed to see if she wasn't but her damn hands were still stuck to the sheets. She thought she might be panting again but couldn't be sure.

Her head lulled to the side, and she stared at Rogue's pained expression again. An idea popped into her head, one she hadn't thought of. "You!"

"Uh…"

"You can help me meet the quota! What do you want? I do anything."

Rogue's cheeks turned as red as his pants, and he practically broke his neck to turn when the door opened. "Sting!"

They said something she couldn't focus on, her headache coming back again. She needed to focus. She had to meet the quota or her owner would be angry…

"-y? Oh, Lucy!"

Someone grabbed her chin and forced her to focus on them. She recognized Sting again, the softness of his gloves nice against her skin. "Lucy."

"Uh?"

"We aren't going to help you with a quota," he explained, keeping his grip firm when she tried to pull away. She was too tired, her hands drumming unevenly against the bed, needing to touch her arms. "You gotta stop offering to have sex with people up here."

"But-"

"No buts," he said, his face going in and out of focus, "we're not going to pay you to go pay your boss."

"Boss?"

Sting shook his head, and he turned into a blur or yellow and white. "-d rest, okay? You don't have to pay anything."

Lucy blinked, feeling her lids getting heavy again. Did he say she didn't need to pay? That didn't matter!

Her eyes fell closed, a feeling of panic setting in. She wasn't worried about paying him.

 **A/n: And here's chapter three! Sorry for the delay here, I didn't even realize a whole month had passed since the last chapter. Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Quota._

Sting drummed his fingers, staring at the woman beside him as she continued to sleep fitfully. At least while she was out it gave him some time to mull over what he'd heard from her. They couldn't keep giving her things to help her sleep; she needed to properly eat and drink and put some weight on her bones.

Of course, she refused to do any of that without some sort of fix, which simply couldn't happen. They didn't know what kind of drug was in her system, and they couldn't pinpoint exactly how long it would take for her body to expel the remaining drugs and work through withdrawal.

Sitting on the bed next to hers, he mulled over what Rogue told him about her quota. He doubted it was money, and if it had to do with clients her boss was a really fucked up guy. Studying her, occasionally her legs and pelvis would spasm, like she had the desperate need to touch herself. He wrinkled his nose, wondering what kind of conditioning it took to teach someone to act that way, even while asleep.

He just didn't know what to do.

His eyes swept over her arms, the scars jutting out against her skin. Someone cut her deeply with a blade, and it appeared that the knife itself may have been laced with magic. Wendy said the wounds were too old to heal, but they were raised up from her skin like they were new.

Sighing, he turned his eyes to the ceiling once more. He'd spoken with Rogue, and they considered simply going back to the brothel she was staying at and getting answers. It wasn't a mystery about where she was staying, but he wondered if the people living there would be compliant enough to answer questions. Considering how blitzed everyone was when he showed up there, he wondered if they'd even be able to stay awake long enough to talk.

Lucy whimpered in her sleep, and he tried to ignore the sound. She did the same thing a half an hour ago and when he managed to wake her up she'd been rubbing her legs together, begging him to take her.

Needless to say, he was doing his best to completely ignore her right now.

The door at the end of the infirmary opened and Sting's senses stood on end, whipping his head around to glare as Dobengal approached, taking in the disheveled girl beside him.

Sting scowled, "I thought I made it clear you're not welcome in here."

Dobengal feigned surprise, jutting a finger back towards the entrance. "If you don't want me in here, you should have a damn guard outside."

He shook his head, eyeing his guild mate who remained silent. Dobengal seemed to have said all he needed to at the moment, and his full attention was on the blonde mage now. Sting was glad he'd thrown the blanket back over her form earlier, covering her up to her collarbones. Unfortunately, with the age of the wound, Wendy was unable to heal it.

His eyes swept over the blonde woman several times, as though he could devour her with his eyes. The looks lingered in certain spots on her body, and Sting didn't have to follow his line of sight to guess where. "Looks cute enough. Guess she's gotta be to earn herself any money out there."

Sting snarled, sitting up on the opposite bed. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you so inconsiderate you can't leave someone alone even when they're hurt?"

Dobengal shrugged, his lips pulling into a grin when she rubbed her legs together again, jerking around in her sleep. "Doesn't look hurt to me. Just horny."

He sneered, getting up out of the bed. "That's it Dobengal, get out. You don't waltz into an infirmary and eye someone who's hurt. And you _never_ think about fucking them."

Feigning disbelief, Dobengal placed a hand to his chest. "I don't recall saying anything that crass."

"You haven't yet," Sting replied, narrowing his gaze, "but I see it in your eyes. Had you found her in the alley instead of me this would be a completely different story."

Dobengal shrugged, unmoved. "If I had found her she would've put her talents to use."

Sting groaned, waving the other man off. "Get out. You won't be in here harassing people while they heal. I meant what I said earlier. You're not welcome up here."

He scoffed, refusing to go. "You can't be serious. You're going to prioritize this whore over the needs of everyone else in the guild?"

"It's night," he snapped back, glaring at the man. "There are no immediate needs right now. Go back to your room and get out of my sight. You won't act this way towards another mage, Sabertooth member or not."

Dobengal laughed, turning on his heal. "The only magical thing about blondie these days appears to be her willingness to put out."

Sting growled but didn't respond, refusing to be goaded any further. Dobengal wanted a rise, something he could tell the guild about that would throw his leadership further into question.

Maybe bringing her here was a mistake. A hospital, even another guild with better leadership, would be more equipped to handle the state Lucy was in. If someone else dragged her into their guild hall like this the master might know what to do and how to help her.

Sting felt at a loss. Other than letting her work through things on her own he didn't know how to help with addiction, much less how to snap her out of the mindset that she needed to be ready to sleep with someone at any given moment.

Maybe, once the drugs started to wear off, she would be more reasonable.

* * *

The following day, when Lucy hadn't improved, Sting made the decision to go back to whatever grovel she was living in and have a look around. Loke and her other spirits seemed none the wiser as to who her boss was, and she seemed to be annoyingly good at keeping that secret to herself. He thought having Loke and Virgo come along could be beneficial. Painful or not, there was a good chance they knew something more about where she lived and maybe the people she interacted with.

"You're sure?" Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow as Sting explained his plan. It was shabby at best, and he was already stressed out about how the guild could react, but there wasn't much to be done. If Lucy wouldn't help them out with answers they needed to seek them out themselves.

His fingers brushed over the lacrima in his pocket, wondering if he should reach out to another guild for help. Surely he could find some of her other friends, like Erza or Gray or Levy, without too much of a fight.

But Lucy didn't seem to want any help, least of all from those who filled her past. Whatever happened between her and Natsu seemed to send her down the wrong path, and until he could get the girl to coherently answer his questions everything was a guessing game.

Wendy would reach out to their old friends. It would probably come across better from the sky dragon slayer than himself anyway. He wasn't friends with the fairies before, and they may not take the news so well from him now.

"I don't really have any other plans," he growled, running his fingers through his hair. He'd been debating all morning who to send out and investigate, and although Yukino refused to be left out she couldn't rightly go by herself. Even with all the celestial spirits to help her Sting didn't trust it.

Lucy had plenty of spirits herself, companions that should've been enough company for a while, even if she was alone. And somehow she still fell into this downward spiral. It obviously took some time, but he was too paranoid right now to just send Yukino off alone to a similar fate.

Despite his better judgment, he'd agreed to go with her and let Rogue watch over the guild that afternoon. Without having to lug Lucy between here and Crocus the journey wouldn't take the entire day.

He knew it was risky, especially with the entire guild upset and overwhelmed by Lucy's presence, but he desperately needed to go outside. He'd spent enough time beside her the past two days and needed a break to clear his head. Without the pressure of the guild surrounding him maybe he'd finally be able to think straight.

"I'm sure you can handle things here this afternoon," he continued, shrugging. "Dobengal took a job with his team, so they shouldn't be back until tomorrow. Half the guild should be gone today anyways, and Orga and Rufus are here if you really need help. Minerva's someplace around as well."

Rogue rolled his eyes, clearly unamused. "That's not what I meant. Should you really be getting in the middle of her personal life? I thought the plan was to let her fight off signs of withdrawal and send her on her way."

Scowling, Sting glared at his friend. "That's not the whole plan."

Granted, he didn't have a clear idea of what the plan was, just what he thought he needed to do. If they just sent her off again once she got the drug out of her system, there would be nothing stopping her from going back. The others hadn't seen the brothel, they had no idea.

His shoulders stiffened, thinking about Yukino. He didn't really want to bring her along, but the mage would have his head if she even thought he was trying to ignore her.

"You need to be careful Sting," Rogue stressed, his eyebrows drawing together. "Don't let Lucy overwhelm you. There's enough happening in our own guild right now. Don't do more for her than is feasible."

Sting tensed, suddenly glad he hadn't considered bringing Rogue along. He needed one of the twin dragon slayers to remain there for the day. His friends were strong-willed enough to fight off any arguments between guild members, but no one would question Rogue as much as the others.

And he seriously needed a break from the negativity. Just for one day, couldn't things look up?

Standing, he turned away from his longtime friend. "Let's get this over with. I'd rather not get stuck there after dark again."

* * *

Yukino managed to stay quiet for almost an hour of their walk before breaking the silence, nearly scaring Sting out of his skin when she started babbling.

"We should burn down that place," she said, balling her hands into fists. "Or demand to see the owner. Or burn down the place with the owner!"

Sting smirked, resting his hands behind his head as they walked. "I figured you'd start yelling about that way before now."

Yukino huffed, jogging to walk several paces ahead of him. "Sting, she's trying to give herself to someone every time she wakes up. And she won't have any skin on her arms if she goes back to scratching. She thinks this drug is the only thing she has to live for!"

"It's not," he replied, rolling his eyes. "She's just… I don't know, lost?"

"Did Rufus find out what that drug is yet?" she asked, looking around them. "And that healer Wendy mentioned, when is she coming?"

"Porlyusica," Sting replied, watching Crocus come into view. "And in the morning. She's got to travel further than I thought."

Yukino hesitated before speaking again. "You didn't answer my other question."

Sting sighed, loudly, before fixing his gaze on her. "Rufus has no bloody idea. When Porlyusica shows up tomorrow maybe she can identify it. Remember, he's not really a doctor, he's just the closest thing we've got. Even Wendy couldn't heal her."

Dropping her gaze, Yukino clasped her hands together. "Yeah, I know. It's just so strange. Lucy's always been so level-headed and self-aware. Even when she's down she doesn't take such drastic measures. I… I can't imagine what would bring her to this point."

He pursed his lips but remained quiet, the same question twisting around in his mind. Natsu and Lucy were well-known partners in Fairy Tail, and despite the constant jokes that were thrown her way, Lucy could typically hold her own when things got rough. Neither relied so heavily on the other that separation would lead to such extremes.

Even if he wanted to blame Natsu for his utter disappearance ultimately causing Lucy to collapse on herself, he wasn't sure he could. One of the biggest issues he had with being a guild master was trying to look at things from all sides and not jumping ahead of himself.

"Maybe if we understood better we could help," Yukino continued, following Sting's lead when he took a sharp left upon entering the city. Even if Lucy's scent was faded by now, he'd remember the path either way. "Something had to bring her to this point."

"Unless we know what it doesn't do any good," Sting grumbled, leading her down a short alley. He couldn't recall the main streets he'd traveled through, trying to avoid them a few nights prior. He only visited the market and the arenas here; everything else was unimportant. Now he wished he'd cared a little more.

After ten minutes of leading Yukino down the winding path he spotted the familiar brothel, the sign no less obvious in the day. Clearly the slums of Crocus could get away with what they wanted. There appeared to be significantly less people afoot now that it was midmorning, and he hoped that wouldn't deter their progress.

"Definitely the place," Loke said, startling Sting out of his thoughts. He blinked, barely recalling Yukino's voice as she summoned him. Loke's expression was stern, as it had been since Sting encountered Lucy again. "I can't forgot it."

"You didn't happen to make friends with anyone while blondie was here, did you?" Sting asked, rubbing his head. He recalled, vaguely, a conversation Yukino and Lucy had once about Loke's flirtatious tendencies.

His expression darkened, and Sting knew right away it was the wrong thing to say. "I was too busy trying to get Lucy out to worry about anyone else."

He moved forward, taking the lead as they approached the building, and for the first time he noticed the pink haired maiden traveling behind him, Virgo's eyes long sadly around. Yukino shot Sting a look, and he sincerely hoped the spirits wouldn't let anger override their judgment. They needed to find out who the boss was above all else.

Sting already had a plan in his head. If this was due to a debt, Sabertooth had quite enough jewel to pay off anything she might owe without upsetting the other members. If this had to do with something the boss thought she owed him, then they'd just have to beat him into submission and get him to accept something else.

Cracking his knuckles as he entered the building, Sting sincerely hoped it was the latter.

The same sickening stench hit his nose upon entry, and he realized it didn't much matter what day or time you entered this place, it would always be disgusting. Yukino gasped as she walked in, immediately shielding her nose with a hand.

At least they didn't draw much attention. Of the seven bodies lying around the room only two were conscious. Two girls, far underfed and looking blitzed, glanced up at them as they entered. One didn't bother keeping her head up, yawning as she sank back down to nap. The other tilted her head, smirking as they entered.

"You again," she grinned, and it took Sting a moment to realize she was talking about him. Surfing through his mind he briefly recalled her, the girl who'd attempted to approach him the night he found Lucy, only to end up falling over as she stumbled towards him. At least this morning she seemed to remember to wear clothing. He was somewhat impressed she could remember him with how far gone she was the last time he was here.

Ignoring the three curious looks shot his way he shifted forward, arching an eyebrow at the girl. "Mind telling me where your boss is at?"

She didn't recoil like he'd seen Lucy do in the past, but her shoudlers did stiffen. "Dunno. He says not to worry 'bout it." Batting her eyes, she twisted around, giving everyone a view of the little closing she chose to wear, much like Lucy's attire. "Now, what can I do to make you purr big boy?"

Sting wrinkled his nose, noticing Loke and Yukino wandering to the stairs from the corner of his eye. Knowing his fiery guild mate, he wouldn't be surprised if she asked to see what hell Lucy lived in here. He just hoped she knew what she was getting herself into.

"When do you suppose he'll be back?" Sting asked, stepping back when the girl approached. Beside him Virgo cocked her head, but otherwise said nothing.

"Not sure," she replied, her fingers toying with the hem of his vest. Sting had never much cared about how much of his stomach showed, but he suddenly wished his abs were covered as he gently smacked her hand away. It didn't deter her, much like his rejection hadn't convinced Lucy, and she started playing with her hair instead. "He's gotta look for someone."

Sting arched an eyebrow, well aware of who he was more than likely seeking out. "And what did you say his name was again?"

The girl pouted, obviously uninterested in the question. "I don't remember. He doesn't want us using it anyway. It's not important when he wants to see us." She toyed with the neckline of her blouse, and he sincerely hoped she wouldn't suddenly pull it down. "If you ask he'll up the quota."

 _Quota._ Narrowing his eyes, he was glad to finally have something they could focus on to talk about, and maybe distract her from trying to strip. He needed a name or a physical description, not only so he knew what to report but also who to watch out for. Thus far, he only had vague descriptions from Loke and Virgo who'd never gotten close enough to see the man's face beneath the hood. Refocusing his attention on the girl, he noticed one of her hands let go of the fabric of her top, reaching out to scratch at the raw skin on her arm.

"What is your quota exactly?" he asked, hoping that even though this girl seemed like she was still on drugs, maybe she'd be a bit more rational than Lucy at the moment. "Sex?"

She frowned, her eyes going unfocused for a moment like she was thinking it over. "No money. Sex for money."

That sounded like prostitution. "And that helps you make this quota to your boss?"

The girl nodded happily, like she thought she'd answered a question correctly. "Yes. Gotta make money for him, make our quotas. He's generous though, buys us everything we need with it." She subconsciously scratched at her skin again, and he wondered if this so-called boss used it to purchase drugs that kept his _workers_ dependent on him. "We just have to earn our shares, and be ready whenever he wants us."

Sting wrinkled his nose, ignoring the way her words made his stomach roll. Before he could respond Virgo launched forward, and he found himself restraining the spirit as she tried to take out the girl. "Princess was never ready! You let him-"

"Virgo," he growled, cutting in. Her outburst jarred some of the other occupants awake, and he vaguely noted two men sitting up as well. For all he knew, they showed up in tow of some of the women here last night, and could be as clueless as he was.

Either way, he didn't want to risk saying too much if they worked for the boss here. Besides, he really didn't want to hear where the end of the sentence was going.

He opened his mouth to say something else, stopping when Virgo pulled free and tugged on his sleeve. Glancing at her, he noticed Loke standing behind her at the base of the stairs, gently inclining his head towards the blond as though to follow.

Sting wouldn't argue. He'd gladly go upstairs if it meant breathing cleaner air. He waved off the girl as she kept speaking hoping she'd take a hint, letting Virgo grab his arm and practically drag him up the steps.

"I could take them," she said, leading the way. "I've done it before for princess. You did not need to stop me."

"We're not really blending in if we get into a fight with everyone we see," Sting replied, mulling over the girls words. He wished she'd been a little more informative, but like Lucy she spoke a certain way to preserve their secrets.

Upstairs in Lucy's old room Sting felt his skin crawl all over again, the stains on her old mattress stirring up unpleasant imagery. It was all that much more vivid during the day. Some of the marks were coppery, and he wondered if they were the results of blood.

He didn't have long to focus though. Yukino pried something out of a crack in the wall and he reeled back, the smell assaulting his scenes. He threw a hand up to cover his mouth and nose, noticing the displeased looks of the other three in the room. "What the fuck is that?"

Yukino coughed, letting Loke rip the baggie away to inspect. Virgo stepped up beside him, the pair looking at it with equal amounts of horror.

"This," Loke seethed, his hand trembling as he stared at the crystal-like substance within, "has to be her stash."

* * *

Lucy knew something was happening. Her headache drummed against her skull even before she opened her eyes, but she could hear the voices talking. Her eyes felt heavy, like it would take too much effort to open them. Groaning softly, she squeezed them shut tighter.

The voices stopped talking.

After several moments, she managed to open her eyes, focusing on the dim lights in the ceiling. It hurt, and she dragged her gaze away to look around.

Rufus. That was the fellow with the hat. Her fingers twitched involuntarily, trying to scratch at the skin she couldn't reach.

He hesitated before stepping closer into her line of sight, and she didn't have to strain her eyes as much to see him through the corner of her eye. "Lucy? Are you alright?"

She ignored the question, swallowing painfully when she noticed how dry her mouth and throat were. Licking her lips she opened her mouth, coughing before she spoke. "Water?"

His eyebrows rose, but he silently complied with the request, grabbing a glass somewhere outside her line of vision. She didn't see when he pressed he glass to her lips but felt the pressure there, and opened her mouth when he tilted the glass for her.

Water felt refreshing, though it did nothing to sate the first she felt. Her fingers trembled, and she wet her lips when the glass was removed, feeling hot all over.

Her skin felt like it was on fire. Clenching her jaw, she looked around. Rufus might be saying something but she couldn't focus, the white noise in her ears blocking out sound.

Where _was_ it? She swiveled her head back and forth, looking for the pouch she always kept on her. Even while working, it had to be nearby. Her board mates wouldn't leave it alone if they found it while she was out. Her supply would be gone, gone, gone, and she'd never make quota enough to get her supply back up.

Maybe she could, her mind wandering to whatever dangerous tasks she'd have to do to get more. She was broke right now, her pockets empty so she'd need to make more before the boss came back again. Maybe if she could handle two, three, four clients at one time –

She blinked, coming out of her head to look around again. Her jaw clenched once more, a different man looking down at her now, two exceeds balanced on either shoulder. Lucy blinked rapidly, trying to decide if this was an illusion or not. When he didn't fade away, and said something she didn't hear, she realized he was real.

Right, Rogue. She was still stuck with those Sabers.

Looking the other way, she expected to see Sting. He'd been there every time before.

Her fingers twitched again, and she stopped focusing on Rogue. Lifting her head up she looked for the bag, but it wasn't there. A sheet covered her skin, and she couldn't see past her shoulders.

Where was it?

"M-my bag," she ground out, barely noticing when Rufus came back into focus too. The duo exchanged a condescending look over her head, and she wished she could smack their heads together. "Where's it?"

"What bag?" Rogue asked, his voice seeming to change pitch with each word. "Your spirits brought some books with you when you arrived but that's it. Sting didn't bring anything else with."

Lucy groaned, letting her eyes close. They weren't listening! She had to have her bag! Even if her boss gave her money, he also made sure she got more than her fair share of the drug when she was extra good. She worked hard for it, she wouldn't share!

"I need it!'

Above her, the pair exchanged another glance. Sting and the others still hadn't returned, and they doubted the group would be bringing back another bag. She kept screaming meaningless words, slapping her hands against the bed when she couldn't find purchase elsewhere.

"I warned him about being gone too long," Rufus huffed, shaking his head. "Now what should we do? Do we just let her wear herself out?"

Rogue shrugged in response, unclear what he should do. This was exactly why he hated playing stand-in; as guild leader, these choices were Sting's alone. He might stress over every one of them, but he hadn't led them astray so far.

"That's all we can do," he grumbled, shaking his head when she clenched her jaw again. Another sign of withdrawal. "Maybe they'll know something more when they get back."

Rufus shook his head, clenching his hands together as the girl continued tossing herself around. "They better."

 **A/n: I don't know if anyone still follows this story or not, but it is almost therapeutic for me to write this one. If I continue on I'm hoping to delve more into Lucy's psyche and why she acts like this soon. And hopefully the updates will be closer together. I begin school on November 7 for a year, so everything is a toss up after that point. Please leave your thoughts on development too! It makes my day reading them.**


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing Lucy noticed when she came to again was the annoyingly bright lights heating up her face. Irritated, she reached up to try and cover her eyes, jumping when the back of her hand smacked into her nose.

She gasped, sitting up all the way. She hadn't gotten to do that in… well, she couldn't remember. Her head whipped back and forth, taking in her surroundings as her breathing increased.

Free. She was free.

The momentary bliss faded as quickly as it had arrived, her eyes settling on the figure in the bed across from her. Sting's face was permanently set in a scowl, his arms crossed as he sat on the bed and continued to study her.

Pity, she was still in Sabertooth. She wished the lot of them had gotten tired of her and simply tossed her out onto the streets. She could be making her way back to her boss by now if that was the case.

Despite herself, she felt her fingers twitch towards her center, barely registering that she still wore the same clothing as before. As her fingers touched her thigh she felt her opposite hand reach over and scratch at her wrist, her jaw clenching as she studied him.

She needed to get out of there.

"Don't do that," he remarked, hopping off the bed to approach. More often than not things seemed to start out like this, with the blond headmaster approaching instead of being within arm's reach. His eyes darted from her wrists to her fingertips which had pushed aside the remainder of her clothing, and she was just about to –

She barely managed to gasp when her fingers rubbed against herself before his eyes widened, moving quick enough to smack her hands away before she got any satisfaction from it. Pouting, she stared up at him, her fingers twitching again. She really needed to get her fix again, on everything.

Lucy wet her lips, hating how dry and cracked they felt. "Why am I here?"

"What, missing the prostitution?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "Or the drugs? Maybe both."

Scowling, she sat up, ignoring the way her body protested. She wanted to rub her muscles but her digits wouldn't work, not until she got a fix the Sabertooth headmaster wasn't willing to give. Eyeing him curiously, she wondered what she needed to do to convince Sting to let her out.

A thought passed through her mind, and she jumped up, almost stumbling out of the bed as she tried to catch her footing. "I gotta go. M-my boss-"

"Can't enter a guild," he said, the tightness in his voice unmistakable. She could feel another blistering headache coming on, and his obvious irritation wouldn't help her out. "He's probably too bloody busy using your housemates for sex to notice you're gone yet."

Lucy snarled, offended. She got in Sting's face, ignoring the way he leaned back from her body. "He'll notice! I'm his _favorite_."

She could visibly see the disgust dance across his face, the guild master's emotions never disguised. "Why do you sound so proud of that?"

Jutting out her lip, she turned up her nose, gripping the side of the bed when her headache came through again. "I had to work hard to not be forgotten. If you're good it isn't so painful-"

He grasped her chin, studying her before she could finish the sentence. There it was again, that annoyingly terrified look that flittered through his eyes whenever she talked like that. She avoided his gaze, rubbing her fingers gently over his forearm as he kept her facing him.

She assumed he would lecture her some more, maybe even push her away if she kept reaching for him, but her attentions were diverted when he reached into his pocket, producing the one thing she'd been focused on since Sting found her. Eyes lighting up, she lunged for the bag, stumbling when Sting disappeared beside her.

"You don't actually think that I'll give this to you?" he asked, somehow by the other bed again. Was he actually that fast, or were her senses simply that impaired? Sting shook the bag once, the fury in his face surprising. "No wonder you make yourself a slave for this shit. Where did you even get this much of it? You could've overdosed with this stash."

Lucy's eyes widened, lunging towards Sting again. This time she knew it was her reflexes, the dragon slayer's eyebrows rising when he lazily sidestepped her, letting her catch herself on the edge of the bed, her too-thin arms shaking when she tried to hold up her weight.

Her breathing picked up when she started panicking. He would throw it away and all her hard work would be for nothing! She spun to meet his eyes again, her mind already going to her first line of defense. If her spirits refused to help her she still had other means.

"Offer still stands," she purred, running her hands over her hips. He glared at her but didn't move closer, and she grinned when her fingers hooked into the too-big waistband of her shorts, beginning to tug them down. "I promise I'm flexible."

Sting moved again, and she wished she could fully focus on his movements. Suddenly he was in front of her, grasping her wrists to drag the clothing back up her hips before he pushed her to sit down on the bed.

Out of instinct more than anything else, she opened her mouth and closed her eyes, waiting for his next move. So she could tempt him with the right words.

"I don't want anything from you Lucy," he snapped, each word deliberately drawn out. Surprised he wasn't taking advantage she opened her eyes, a frown overtaking her lips. "I want to stop having to hide you in this room like a prisoner because I'm not sure if you're going to bend over for every damn guild member who walks by."

She pouted, tilting her head. "But-"

"No buts," he sighed, holding up his hands. "I'm not playing you or trying to mislead you or whatever. I'm not going to kick you out because you haven't made money for the day by getting fucked against a wall. I'm trying to avoid that actually."

She stilled, drawing her hands into herself as she rubbed her wrists. "But my boss-"

" _What_ boss?" he snapped, shaking his head. "You don't have a damn boss unless you go back, and the way I see it the only reason you have to go back is if you won't kick this addiction problem."

Sting pulled out the bag for emphasis, making Lucy's eyes widen once more. Unless he'd let her slide closer there was no way she could snatch it away. "And if you'd just give me a fucking name of whoever runs that brothel I could take care of your little problem with the so-called boss."

What little color there was in her face disappeared, and he'd barely hidden the bag in his pocket again when she moved, lunging forward to grasp either side of Sting's vest as panic set in. "You can't tell him I'm here! He'll come and he'll kill me! I didn't show up for my shift with him today! You-"

"I don't plan on telling anyone," he assured, placing his hands over her wrists. "The last thing I feel like doing is sending you back to get in trouble. But I need a name or something Lucy."

She shook her head, the panic in her eyes refusing to fade. "No! He'll hurt you all-"

"No one's going to hurt me or anyone else in Sabertooth," he assured, narrowing his eyes. "I'm a damn guild master Lucy, at least let me use my position to help you. Even if I don't know what to do next I'm sure one of the other guilds-"

"No!" she screamed, her hands clenching. "No! Don't tell the others."

Sting hesitated, and she held her breath, imaging that he'd force her to do something in a moment, one way or another. That's what usually happened –

He let go of her wrists and stepped back, and she blinked several times trying to figure out what he was doing. "Fine. Right now I won't tell anyone else outside the guild what is going on, but only if you'll eat something."

Lucy paused, stumped. He wanted her to eat? She licked her lips, thinking back to the last time she'd had a full stomach. Usually she wasn't too worried about food, not when she could get her fix elsewhere, and for a moment she thought this was a strange joke. But meeting Sting's eyes, she could see the sincerity there.

Her eyes refocused on him, on the pocket he'd stuffed the baggie back into. Sting followed her line of gaze, turning his body from her when she didn't answer with a sigh. "You're not getting better lying on that bed, and you desperately need food and a shower. I want you to be able to wander around the guild but I need to know you aren't going to try to leave."

"No promises," she sing-songed, clasping her hands in front of her. All she wanted to do was get out of the guild and go back to her room. She didn't know what would happen but the longer she was away the worse it would be. "I've been gone all night. Boss will not be lenient if I'm gone longer than that."

Sting paused, turning back to fix her with a glare. "All night? Lucy, it's been three days. Four in a couple hours."

She froze, feeling the ground slip out from under her. Days? She supposed she faded in and out a lot, but how could she have been gone for days? He'd have her head. She unclasped her hands, moving to bolt past Sting. He let her go, and she made it all the way to the door before she was stopped, the obstacle refusing to budge.

"Days!?" she screamed, pounding on the door. "How could you keep me here that long! He-he-he…"

Her voice trailed off as she reached for her keys, finding they weren't on her hip. She never took them with when she needed money, but she thought she went back home before Sting stepped in and ruined her life. Spinning around she pointed a finger at him, continuing to pound on the door. "Where are my spirits?!"

"On your key ring in the room I set up for you," Sting replied, the tenseness back in his eyes. "Whatever you were worried about happening after a day will surely be worse now that it's been almost four. Leaving right now, in the middle of the night, and running back there is a very stupid idea. At least eat something."

No matter how she looked at it, her mind told her to go. If she went and did a good enough job, he might give her a little bit of her stash for the next week, but only if she could double the quota. Surely he'd let her work herself raw if she could catch up quick enough.

Meeting Sting's eyes, she knew he wouldn't let her leave without a fight. For one reason or another he wanted her to stay here over going back to her latest residence, and she just couldn't understand why. They barely knew each other and they certainly weren't close. He didn't need to butt into her business so damn much.

Scratching at her wrists, she lifted her chin. She'd need energy to escape. "What do I have to eat?"

"Food," he replied, approaching the door. "Real food. And a decent amount. I shouldn't be able to see so many bones if you're feeding yourself."

He stopped at the door to open it, and Lucy attempted to smirk, reaching towards his pocket none to secretly. Sting caught her hand as he found the key, arching an eyebrow.

"Most of the guild is still out or in their rooms by now. So long as you don't start throwing yourself at people we can get to your room pretty quick. I had Yukino set something out for dinner." He let go of her hand as the door opened, rubbing his face before stepping out. "And do me a favor and don't talk to Dobengal if he's out."

She didn't know what to say to that, eyes widening when he opened the door. He was actually going to let her out after keeping her stuck to the bed for however long? Sure, she knew she was at least better than the previous times she'd woken up, but this seemed like a leap of faith.

Lucy eyed him as they stepped out, briefly forgetting about the stash in his pocket. He'd said little about it, and she wondered when he would bring it up again. Subconsciously she rubbed her arms as she stepped into the hall, the cool air outside the room causing the hairs on her arms to rise.

Why did he trust her so much? Even the boss kept her on a tight leash.

"This way," he said after a moment when she hadn't moved past the white wall. Lucy blinked, digging her nails into her arms as they started walking. She didn't want to let Sting out of her sight, not while he had the stash on him. She'd be foolish to walk away.

Then again, she was foolish to stay too. She needed to go back before she caused any more trouble, but leaving right now seemed like a lot of effort.

Wherever the infirmary was, it seemed to ignore the main meeting area in the build. She could hear plenty of chatter nearby, but they didn't seem to be heading in that direction. Sting didn't glance back at her as they walked, his dragon senses apparently enough for him to rely on. He took her up a flight of stairs, further into the guild, and she was about to protest when he stopped walking, groaning loudly.

"Fucking Dobengal."

"Who?" she asked, the name from earlier popping up again. She vaguely recalled hearing that name during the Grand Magic Games for a brief time, but that was it. "Problem?"

Sting groaned again. "Just stay behind me, and don't engage him. Trust me when I tell you Dobengal doesn't have any money."

He didn't give Lucy a chance to ask about that, stomping away down the hall. Intrigued for the first time she followed silently, momentarily forgetting about her itchy skin and dry lips.

Around the corner there was a guy with dusty brown hair leaning on one of the doors, a black covering obscuring his face from the nose down. His image didn't mean much to her, but she couldn't imagine him being anyone other than Dobengal. Even with half his face covered she could practically feel his smirk under there.

"Pretty sure I gave you one damn job," Sting ground out, glaring at the man. "You don't even live here and you have no business being in the halls up here. Fuck off."

The guy in front of them glared at Sting a moment before shifting his gaze, eyes coming to land on Lucy, briefly taking in her face before letting his gaze wander over her exposed skin.

She almost perked up at that. This she was familiar with and could deal with. Unlike the suffocatingly concerned looks of most of the guild members she'd encountered, Dobengal wanted to drink her in with the same type of lecherous hunger that men usually did when they found her on the streets. Since she hadn't worn a bra when she encountered Sting she was still without one, and in the cool hallway air she could feel her nipples straining against the thin fabric.

 _I'm not going to kick you out because you haven't made money for the day by getting fucked against a wall._

She wondered Sting would boot her if she did exactly that just to make money off the man before her. She was pretty sure he'd take the bait, and at least she'd have something to bring back for her wasted efforts the last several days.

He finally spoke, clearly doing his best to get on Sting's last nerve. "I just wanted to make sure someone welcomed our newest guest. She hasn't even been properly introduced to the rest of the guild. Maybe we should take her out there right now master."

Sting's brow visibly twitched at the title, barely glancing towards Lucy. He'd made it abundantly clear that he'd seen enough of her and didn't want to see more. "Maybe another time when she's had some rest. Now Dobengal, kindly get out of the dormitories so Lucy can rest."

He looked her over one more time before leaving, and Lucy realized that was the most normal thing to happen to her since arriving. Sting opened the door hastily, practically shoving her in with some sort of explanation that he'd be back later. Lucy wasn't listening though, taking in a room with more furnishings than she'd had in a year.

She frowned when the door clicked shut, expecting Sting to say something more. Apparently other than dropping her off in the room an making sure she ate, he had no other interests in her. She let her mind drift off at that, deciding she could look around the space.

* * *

Lucy was bored in her room, and her skin itched something terrible. She'd eaten a fourth of the meal Yukino left there earlier before simply throwing it across the room. She wanted to go exploring but didn't know if she had the energy, and she found the fact that the mages here wanted her to wear something else insulting. Why else would they stock the closet?

She'd already tried to leave twice. Downstairs there were too many mages, and she'd vaguely recognized some of Sting's friends sitting near the doors in case she wanted to be sneaky. She had no idea how long they intended to sit there wasting space, but she'd end up passing out again if they didn't move soon.

Unfortunately, she hadn't found another way out, and after her previous experiences jumping from windows she didn't look forward to trying that again.

She groaned in frustration, her fingers trembling as she tried to decide whether to get herself off or scratch her skin off first. Her mind worked better than it had recently but the urge to do all the same things was still there even as she pushed the useless shirt up and over her breasts again to flick at the skin.

Lucy cried out when her fingers touched the wound on her left breast, surprised it was still tender. Given how many days she'd apparently been there, she thought it would've healed better.

She wasn't even close to finishing anything off when someone rapped loudly on her door, the skin on one of her arms shredded red when she could no longer fight the urge to scratch. She withdrew her other hand from her body as she studied the door, staring at it as she debated if it was worth answering.

This definitely wasn't home. Nobody would bother knocking there.

She didn't bother retrieving the shorts she had kicked off, barely pulling the top down before hopping off the bed, deciding getting up was worthwhile enough to at least see who it was. She got the feeling that if she ignored them they'd just persist.

"Dobengal?" she asked, staring at the man when she opened the door. He'd pulled the face covering down, revealing his lips and the first signs of stubble above his lip. If he was surprised she answered the door mostly naked he didn't let on.

"Blondie," he replied, drinking her in again like he had before. Despite herself she peered out the doorway either direction, expecting Sting to be glowering somewhere down the hall. "Having a bit of fun?"

Lucy shrugged as she started scratching again, her usual flirty attitude outweighed at her need to find her stash. Surely Sting wouldn't throw that much money away? "Maybe."

He smirked, and she didn't flinch when he reached out to start tracing the lines of her underwear. Honestly she barely noticed until his fingers stabbed towards her center. "I figured your skin would all be gone when I came up here. Didn't realize maybe you'd need to take care of something else first."

She squirmed away when he started probing her, attempting to push the garment aside. Bracing her arm against the doorframe, she managed to swat his hand away. "Not without pay."

Lucy wasn't a total moron. She remembered what Sting told her.

Where was he anyway? She figured he would've made another annoying appearance by now.

"I have something better," he reasoned, digging through his pocket to produce a bag. Lucy nearly threw herself at him when he held the item up, the crystal-like substance shining in the light. It was hardly anything, but more than she'd seen since running into Sting. "You tell me what this buys me tonight."

She grinned, feeling more like herself as she grabbed the front of his clothes, dragging him into the room. Some sure was better than nothing.

* * *

Sting felt exhausted when he finally managed to disentangle himself from the papers on his desk. He went through this routine every night he could, trying with little headway to clean up more and more of what Jiemma left unfinished.

Things hadn't gone the way they were supposed to. The healer Wendy recommended, Porlyusica, got detained doing something early in the afternoon today and now he wasn't sure if she'd be there tomorrow or not. And after all the time he spent telling Yukino she'd be there earlier today while they traveled.

He rubbed his eyes, hoping Heartfilia hadn't gotten herself into too much trouble while he worked. He'd love to keep pushing the work off for another day, but he'd already done that for nearly four, and there were things that required his attention that couldn't be ignored.

He'd let Rogue and Yukino have most of the evening off, asking if they minded waking up exceptionally early to sit in the main commons and relieve Rufus, Orga, and a rather reluctant Minerva from guarding the doors. He didn't need her escaping.

As Sting approached the stairs, he decided he was sincerely happy he gave Lucy a room only a couple doors down from his own. This would give him the time (he hoped) to try and make sure she didn't tumble back down into addiction-land again. If she could just get her mind clear he was certain her attitude would change.

Patting the same pocket as before, he was glad he'd never taken the baggie out of his vest tonight. At least this way he knew Lucy couldn't find any –

Sting swallowed his words when a blonde head came into view, Lucy's unmistakable dirty locks the first thing he noticed. The second was that she appeared to no longer be bothering with that sad excuse for shorts she'd been sporting for days.

The third was the _smell_. It probably should've been first, but considering he lived in a guild full of horny teenagers and young adults, he'd gotten good at filtering that smell right out of his head.

But not when it came off her. Not when she should've been resting.

And for fucks sake, it shouldn't smell like _him_.

Sting stepped up to her in an instant, immediately grabbing her chin to further inspect her eyes. The pupils were blown again, the drugs having a heyday inside her once more.

If he didn't need to deal with Lucy first, he thought he might actually kill Dobengal. How could one man be this much of a dumbass?

Despite himself, he growled. What the fuck was wrong with him? "Lucy," he seethed, grabbing her shoulder as gently as he could, "what did he do to you?"

She blinked, almost like she was seeing him for the first time. "Who?"

"Dobengal," he sneered, glaring up the staircase. Where and how the bastard found a substance to give Lucy it didn't matter. He'd found it, somehow, and unraveled almost four days of weening her off the stuff.

So much for that.

She waved a hand, her eyes looking off someplace. "Dunno… left a while ago."

At a loss of what to say, Sting could only shake his head. She was being, well… creepily calm about this. "Why did you let him in? Christ, don't tell me he broke through the wards-"

"I let him in," she replied, eyes widening gleefully.

"I told you the bastard doesn't have money," he snapped. It sounded awful, but he hoped she didn't spread her legs for that man just out of sheer boredom.

"No, he gave me some stuff," she replied, wiggling her brows like some sort of secret was being shared. "Only a lil' though. That's why I only agreed to blow him."

Sting waved a hand, letting go as he wondered what he could do to make himself completely forget those words. "Don't share that with me."

Lucy shrugged, leaning on the wall. Only then did Sting remember she wasn't wearing any pants, and he let out a frustrated sigh as he glanced at her, noticing a red mark on her leg. He hadn't seen it the first time when he was avoiding looking at her. Now he could see it though, like someone dug their nails into her skin for too long.

Screw it. He wanted her to feel like confined while staying at Sabertooth, but she didn't seem to be up to the task. It hadn't even been a few hours since he left her and she'd already gotten into trouble.

Briefly, he wondered what happened to the locking spell on her door that was supposed to help keep her in. He'd definitely be having a talk with some of his guild mates later.

Enough was enough. He purposely didn't leave her in the infirmary any longer because some of the guild members were creeping around looking for her. He had hoped getting her her own room upstairs would help, especially since no one else except for Rogue slept in this hall. Evidently it wasn't enough.

With a sigh he grasped her hand, tugging her back up the steps. He couldn't smell anyone else nearby and hopefully Dobengal had actually left for the night. He'd have to confront him in the morning but that was a problem for another time.

Why were his guild mates so adamant about ignoring him?

Lucy, for her part, was almost too compliant as he pulled her back up the steps. She didn't fight or argue, the dreamy expression on her face twisting his stomach. She should be more concerned with what was happening, even if he wouldn't actually harm her. At least she should care where he planned to take her.

Sting bypassed the room he'd had set up, deciding that would need to change now that Dobengal wanted to make her door his personal stopping spot when he wanted to get off. He wrinkled his nose, leading her down the hallway until they reached his own room, opening the door with a flick of his wrist.

"Sleep here tonight," he groaned tiredly, nodding his head so she'd enter. He didn't spare her a second glance as she stepped inside, closing and locking the door once more. "I'll be back in the morning!"

Turning on his heel, he went to grab her keys. Until Lucy stopped willingly letting people have a go at her, he needed more eyes. Her spirits, no matter how it pained them, surely wanted to keep her safe more than they wanted to preserve the mental images they had of the mage who controlled their contracts.

He opened the door and sighed. Why didn't she call someone out in the first place? If she had this could've been easily avoided.

 **A/n:** Here's another installment I hope you enjoyed. Lucy will get worse before she gets better, which is usually the path of addiction. I hope to be back soon.

 **I am going to be asking all the readers of my stories this next question: If I self-published a story on Amazon with an "erotic" theme, would anyone be interested in this? The original work I'm currently working on is very complex, and for a while now I've been debating posting something more fun and daring beforehand. Just looking for some thoughts and input. Thanks everyone!**


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